《Reverse Apocalypse: The Devil's Revenge》 Chapter 1 Nine Realms ?A man stood at the edge of a cliff, looking over the vast expanse of the valley below as the storm raged on. He was a tall figure that towered over six feet with muscles rippling beneath his pale white skin. His piercing royal purple eyes seemed to take in every detail of the vastndscape before him. He could see the storm clouds gathering in the distance, their ominous forms swirling and churning as if they were writhing masses of violently thrashing beings. "They stirred chaos and desperation with cmities, just to let loose the monsters to inflict true terror? Like always, they''re cruel bastards!" The man said in an impassive voice as he calmly looked over the valley. The valley was filled with an evergreen forest and several cities that were connected through streets like a giant cobweb. His voice was deep and full, with a strong, steady tone that conveyed his confidence. The man appeared to be unmoved despite the cmities nature brought forth, nor did he try to distance himself from the cracks in space that were like giant fissures, torn open in the fabric of the Universe itself. ''What nutjobs!'' There were various kinds of monstrous existences that emerged from the depths of the fissures, but even that didn''t affect the man. His eyes fell on a horde that was massive and intimidating, with razor-sharp teeth that glinted whenever the lightning crackled. A few were covered in heavy, armored tes, while others were slender and agile, moving with deadly grace and bloodlust the moment their feets touched the wet ground. As the monsters kept swarming through the fissures in space, it was clear that they had not appeared on Earth due to a coincidence. They had been summoned for a greater purpose, and they marched straight toward the cities to fulfill the only purpose of their life! Meanwhile, a voice resounded in the minds of all the living beings on Earth. [Initiating the Arcane System.] The voice was mechanic and had no trace of emotion. ''What a shitty voice...can I return you?'' [The grace period denounced from the Great Unification of the Nine Realms has expired. Earth, also known as Haltan, will now face the threat of the Nine Realms.] [The Arcane System will provide the necessary substances to reassure that the Haltan will receive sufficient Arcane Power and Mass to ovee the conquest of the Nine Realms.] [Current Power level of the''s Lifeforms: None. Thecking Arcane Power will be substituted through permanent Rifts of a suitable level!] [Highest Power Le¨C...] "Shut it, System." The man said sharply, his voice cutting through the pouring rain. The Arcane System obeyed hismand and abruptly fell silent, freeing the man from the hassle of continuing to listen to all the exnations and the Tutorials. Being one of the Invaders himself, he was not in need of the exnation that was only helpful to the intelligent lifeforms of Haltan. The exnations would clearly illustrate how Arcane System worked, why the Nine Realms invaded Haltan, and that their life would be turned upside down from today onward. If death was a distant stranger before it was bound to be your closest friend and most feared enemy from today onward! "Should I go down as well now, or would it be better to conquer this little annoying thing first?" He mumbled to himself, while his hand ran through his slick wet ck hair, pushing it back as he looked at the ominous tower that had materialized not even a hundred meters next to him. Its ancient stones had risen up from the earth before the fissures in space were created. Taking a step closer to the tower, he could feel the weight of centuries weighing down upon his shoulders, the darkness emanating from within spreading all over the small mountain range. "A Tower that leads down deep into the ground with no way of escape, a ce where only death and desperation hides, created by a Devil to get rid of a Devil¡­" The man mumbled, his chest heaving up and down and his fists clenched tightly. The man stared at the ominous ground tower with loathing and anger. There was a fire in his eyes, a zing conviction that fueled him with the energy to keep moving forward even after the incidents of the past. The marks of the past were still jarringly clear and fresh in his mind with a visceral intensity but the man did not allow himself to forget them, for they would allow him to be strong enough to gain what he wanted most; Freedom and Revenge! Entering the Tower would be the best retaliation for everything that had happened to him until now but he knew that now was not the right time. Despite working relentlessly all his life, he could clearly feel how weak he had be. "Status!" A blue holographic screen with several important pieces of information appeared in front of him, and the man''s eyes creased in response, while the ck horn jutting out of his forehead gleamed dangerously. "This slut of a mother¡­" Chapter 2 Halfling ?Cursing his mother, the young man kept ncing at the holographic screen that hovered half a meter in front of his face. ?¡ª-?Entity Details??¡ª-? [Liam Wandel] [Halfling] [Rank: Circleless] [Soultrait: Unawakened] [Arcanium: 10] ¡ª¡ª¡ª-?Stats?-¡ª¡ª¡ª [Vitality: (G-)] [Strength: (G-)] [Agility: (G-)] [Stamina: (G-)] [Arcane Power: (G-)] [Will: (G-)] ?___________________? The man, Liam Wandel, had a body that could only be considered a piece of art. It was honed and sculped through years of grueling training and discipline. However, that was hardly of any use considering the sorry state of his stats. His stats were at their worst possible and not even his Soultrait had awoken. "They really cleansed my Soul, didn''t they? My Soul feels different, and my strength was taken away as well¡­Only my memories and my appearance body are the same..." Liam mumbled. Something changed but that may as well be rted to the Arcane System and the surrounding environment. He had never before been to a ce with so much greenery, and he had hardly seen rain in the past either. Seeing Liam alive always made his mother scowl because she considered him a weakling. Liam was weaker than his siblings but that was only obvious. They were born with tremendous strength, immeasurable intellect, or other traits that made them special, while Liam was just the runt of the litter; a crying human baby, vulnerable and ordinary. He was thrown away the day he was born, disposed to the human world but to his misfortune, they didn''t ept him either. His purple eyes and the ck horn that jutted out of his forehead were proof enough that he was anything but a human. They called him a monster, threw rocks at him, and tried to kill him nearly dozens of times. He would have died, if not for the few people who were just like him. Surviving as a Halfling was never easy, especially not if your blood was not even supposed to exist, in the first ce. However, it was not as if Liam was at fault for being born. He fought for himself and became stronger, just to be dragged into the war between the two sides that had thrown him aside. Liam had been forced to join the war even if he didn''t support any of the two sides. Those who he supported loathed him and those he was fighting against wanted him dead either way. That way, his mother always kept the Grim Reaper close to him turning every day of his life into a game of survival. And he survived. No matter what was thrown at him, he always survived, even if those around him died miserably. Intrigued by the strength he had gained, she threw him onto Haltan as a trial and a means of punishment for his war crimes. ''Everything she does is somehow a crime. Why did she even bothering up with something like that?'' At the end of the day, she just wanted to see how Liam would fare in the conquest of Haltan once his powers were taken away. "Mother, don''t worry¡­I willplete your mission¡­and take your head afterward, you bitch!" Liam swore to himself, clenching his hands into fists before he was distracted as he heard a loud creaking noise from his right. An old and musty smell weed him as the doors of the ominous tower opened, and Liam saw the beings residing on the ground floor of the underground tower for the first time. "But before that, I will have to take care of this!" He didn''t have any weapons but that was something Liam could ovee. He looked at his hands that yearned for some action while the muscles and veins on his hands bulged. His fingers seemed to elongate and grow further, turning into long, pitch-ck ws. ''For you little bastards, I don''t need my full power!'' Liam thought, ignoring that he was a mere weakling. It didn''t really matter. In order to conquer Haltan and attain full control of the only Interjunction that connected all Nine Realms with each other, Liam would have to make up for hiscking strength with the means at his disposal. It was necessary to strengthen the Arcane Power of Haltan, which was also the reason why the Arcane System had been created. The 10 Arcanium everyone obtained was a small starting bonus given to everyone who received the system. Unfortunately, 10 Arcanium was not enough for Liam. "You guys are mere Lesser Demons¡­I don''t need any help to tear you apart!" Liam told himself before he dashed forward. He was only fighting Lesser Demons, but they were still more in number. His current position was not the best and his opponents were not to be taken lightly, either, no matter what he thought of said about them. Their stats were likely to be a little bit higher than that of his and they were wielding steel weapons. Inparison, Liam was dirt poor. Fortunately, he possessed enough battle experience against both humans with unique Soultraits and all kinds of evil existences to fight the humanoid Shedim. They were Lesser Demons with pale, mottled and burned flesh that was covered with ck scales. Long ck ws adorned each hand and foot, and some of them had ck rotten wings that couldn''t be used properly as too many holes riddled the wings. The Shedims in front of Liam weren''t even able to wield their steel weapons properly because their long ws dug into their own palms. The ws of the Shedim were not made to hold weapons¡­they themselves were weapons, albeit hideous ones! ''If you want to die, you guys could have just lowered your head in front of me, so that I can pierce your brains!'' Liam''s mouth was set into a thin line as he stared at the yellow glowing eyes and foul mouths that were filled with several rows of razor-sharp teeth. He appeared in front of the closest Shedim and twisted his upper body all of a sudden evading the iing spear thrust by a hair''s breadth. His cloth was cut, but he was still unscathed. The corners of his lips curled up at this moment, and his right w shot upward nearly at the same time. A momentter, the satisfying feeling of his ws into the flesh of his opponents overcame him. His knife-like w pierced the head of the Shedime before the exhrating sound of breaking bones reached his ears. A momentter, he reached the brain of the Shedim, and his eyes began to glow. He twisted his w and flung the Shedim back to its brethren once he was done mashing the brain of the poor bastard. "This feels so much better than before!" Chapter 3 Merciless ?[Ordinary Shedim has been yed] [+1 Arcanium] Liam ignored the notification that popped up in front of him as he followed the Shedim corpse he had hurled at the rest of its brethren. The corpse was used as a cover-up, which worked much better than Liam could have anticipated. Two steel spears pierced into the body of the Shedim in mid-air while Liam appeared next to them. He was not sure why they were wielding steel weapons if they were not even capable enough to hold them properly. Twisting his body to an ufortable degree, heshed out at the shaft of one of the spears. The wooden spear shaft burst into dozens of wooden splinters that were flung through the surrounding area and Liam''s other w reached out for the upper half of the spear instinctively. He pulled the spear de out of the Shedim''s body by grasping the remaining broken part of the spear''s shaft, without disrupting his momentum, and sent it flying at the other spear-wielding Shedim before it could even react. ? Liam''s shoulder jerked back due to the recoil effect but the battle was not yet over and neither was his movement sequence done. As for the Shedim, whose spear Liam had just broken, sparks ignited within its mouth. This wasn''t a surprise for Liam who was well aware of the capabilities of the Shedim race. They might only be Lesser Demons but their origin was not too shallow. After all, they were said to be descendants of higher-ranked serpent-like demons. Their origin was also why the Shedim were capable of controlling and expertly using the element of fire to a certain extent. It was more than enough to manifest fireballs! But Liam didn''t think much about that as he spun his body in order to maintain the high momentum before he pierced through the maw of the Shedim with his bare ws. The mes were lunging at him and scorching his skin but he did not flinch while tearing the Shedim''s mouth apart. Piercing through the swirl of mes caused a small explosion that urred with a small dy due to the interference Liam''s attack caused to the Arcane Power that had been manifested, and the Shedim''s fire control that was crumbling down to pieces. The sixty second dy was more than enough for Liam to pierce the wedge bone in the Shedim''s skull, and the brute force ensured that the explosion tore the Shedim''s head apart. Rotten skin, flesh, and brain mass sttered through the surrounding area, but Liam had already moved further ahead. [+1 Arcanium] [+1 Arcanium] His battle instincts were going wild as adrenaline was pumping through his veins. Not even his low stats could restrict him anymore as he ignored the faint burn marks that had appeared on the back of his w. ''Seems like my bloodline is not entirely useless,'' Liam thought while his ws turned back into hands before he reached for the spear of the other Shedim. It was the same Shedim, whose heart had been pierced by the spear de he had thrown at it with all his might. Holding the steel spear tightly, he took a look around. There were still more than ten Shedim alive, yet Liam was already beginning to feel weak as his stamina was being drained rapidly. He could use some Arcanium to increase his stats but it would not make too great of a difference. Going on a shopping spree in the current situation was also not feasible. Thus, Liam figured that he had to surpass his limit, just like it had been in the past, and wreak havoc. With that in mind, Liam made a move. A few fireballs, the size of his head shot toward him but Liam evaded them as he leaned forward. His face nearly touched the cold surface of the stone while the heavy rain poured down on them. The crackling noise of sizzling mes rang through his ears and so did the thundering of the thunderbolts far in the distance as he burst forth. A handful of fireballs shot past him. They missed Liam by a hair''s breadth and would have burned the fabric of his clothes if they weren''t drenched. While he burst forward, he thrust the steel spear toward the closest Shedim. The spear''s de was t and not extremely sharp or endurable. Facing a battle-axe, or some blunt weapons head-on was certainly not intelligent but it was certainly less weird than seeing the Shedim wield weapons they could barely hold properly. The Shedim the closest to him cleaved at Liam with arge and heavy battle-axe. But Liam was ready and attacked the Shedim with blinding speed due to the difference in the weapon, range, and wastage of movement in the attack sequence. A momentter, Liam pierced the heart of the Shedim as warm blood sttered on his face. [+1 Arcanium] His eyes were ice-cold and he merely gave a sideway nce to the notification that appeared at the corner of his eyes to make sure that the Shedim was truly dead. He nced at the heavy battle-axe for a moment before his attention diverted to the remaining Shedim. Their movements were being hampered by the heavy downpour and the stone cliff that turned much more slippery the closer they came to the wet soil that was more mud than anything else. Liam was still standing on the stone cliff, wielding the simple-looking steel spear that was only a bit longer than two meters. It was a long, narrow spear with a double-edged de and a pointed tip. It suited Liam''s purpose because it was light and easy to wield. His thrusts were rapid and his range of attack allowed him to gain an advantage against the high number of Shedims that were slowly making their way up to the cliff. That way three more Shedim fell for his attacks and copsed to the grounds. Unfortunately, the kills didn''te without a sacrifice. His mind was rattling rapidly but his body was not able to move as he imagined to move in his head. No matter how honed his body was, the vast difference in strengthpared to his past strength was shocking. He alsocked his Soultrait, which made things even more difficult. Thus, he ended up getting hit by two fireballs that exploded on his upper body, one at his chest and the other on his abdomen. Liam''s expression turned grim and the impact of the explosions flung him back, closer to the edge of the cliff that weed him with a breeze of chilling air. "Open the Arcane Shop!" ** If you like the Novel, add it to the library and sent it your powerstones! ** Chapter 4 Exploited ?The high fire resistance of his body, and its resilience towards explosions allowed him to survive the impact of two fireballs. They hit him and exploded, flinging him through the air but he was alive and thankfully had not received any severe injuries. His clothes had received the brunt of the attack and he had two burn marks across the area of impact, which was much less troublesome than he had expected. Getting up from the ground, his eyes flickered through the bunch of screens that opened up in front of him. ''These fucking bastards are really going to waste my money!'' Liam cursed in his mind as he opened the Arcane Shop, which was one of the three special options that could be used the moment the Arcane System was initiated. The functions were¡¼Arcane Shop¡½, ¡¼Nine Realm Chat¡½andst but not least,¡¼Missions¡½. Liam opened the Arcane Shop, or the different types of columns to be precise. He could only take a quick nce at the affordable options which did not leave him with a lot of things to buy. ''A temporary Speed Drug¡­enhances my Agility to the D-rank for five minutes¡­for five Arcanium¡­'' Liam found, biting his lip as he did a quick calction in his mind. There were more than ten Shedim that were making their way toward him right now and a steady influx of more such monsters continued to emerge out of the underground tower. Since the ancient doors had been opened, the Shedim were unleashed on the hapless humans, creating a Gateway from the Underworld to Haltan. Instead of pouring high-ranked Demons, let alone Great Devils out of the tower, and thereby wasting precious resources, Liam''s sister had chosen a different way to bring the Apocalypse to Haltan. The little rat of a half-sister, from his mother''s side, of course, caused lots of trouble to him, even if they were in apletely different realm right now. Unfortunately, that was not something Liam could give much thought to right now. After some quick calctions in his mind, he swallowed his pride as a warrior. Not using his Arcanium right now would mean his death, even if he didn''t like to acknowledge that. He was too weak, his Soul had yet to awaken and his mind took longer to adjust to the given situation than expected. It was annoying but so was life! There was nothing Liam could change about it. ''...weakening state after the drug''s effect wears off is five hours¡­yeah, definitely not¡­'' [Speed Drug] [Herculean Drug] [Vitality Drug] [ck Iron Saber] [Ring of Pyroma] [Boots of Arian] [Ignition sh] [Staff of Marli] "That''s all bullshit¡­not helpful at all¡­" Liam cursed under his breath. He was forced to keep moving backward as more fireballs were thrown at him. The number of Shedim was steadily increasing and it was hardly possible for Liam to make out their numbers. Fighting against all of them was not feasible even if he were to use his small fortune of Arcanium to increase his stats because there were simply too many, swarming at him like cockroaches. It was possible to stall some more time by killing a few more Shedim in exchange for being grazed by several fireballs but it was only a matter of time before he would be pushed over the edge of the cliff. He would fall more than ten meters through the air until his fall would be punctured due to the tree branches he was bound to collide on. The entire valley was like a reservoir blessed by nature, teeming with an abundance of flora and fauna. Liam had seen the trees below the cliff before so he knew that increasing his Vitality would be more than enough for him to survive the fall. However, retreating and jumping down the cliff seemed to be hisst and only shot at survival even if his pride took a severe blow. There was still a chance for him to turn the tides, which Liam noticed the moment he found what he had been looking for¡­just that it was way too expensive. ''So you''re telling me that the Soul Awakening Orb costs 1000 Arcanium¡­this is such bullshit¡­'' Liam thrashed the system in his mind, or he imagined to do so, at least. However, he knew that he should rather curse his Mother for snatching everything from him. If their Soultrait had already awoken before, they would emerge on Haltan with their Soultraits unlocked as well. Only a few intelligent lifeforms on Haltan would receive the fortune of awakening their Soultrait the moment they came in touch with Arcane Power. As for everyone else, they had to pay the price to awaken their Soul artificially, or strive even harder and hope that they would be enlightened all of a sudden. Liam didn''t believe that thetter was possible right now even if his current situation put enough pressure to force him into a state of enlightenment to survive miraculously. Unfortunately, he didn''t really feel like relying on a miracle to survive. He knew that he was on his own, just like always. Thus, he clung to thest straw of hope and shouted out loud. "System, lend me as much Arcanium as I can borrow with an interest of 10% or less!" The Arcane System was not something anyone had a lot of information about. It was only known that one could do basically everything with the System. At least, that was what Liam heard when his siblings had discussed what to do about Haltan. He had been chained down to a chair at that time, forced to listen to their discussions because his mother wanted that, and he could have never believed that it woulde in handy someday in his life. [The Arcane System has analyzed the Host''s current situation and is willing to borrow 1000 Arcanium that has to be paid back in five days with an interest rate of 10% per day.] Liam''s upper lip began to twitch and he momentarily forgot about the threat caused by the dozens of Shedims in front of him. "You son of a Hydra!" He cursed out loud while bursting forward. His right arm thrust forward and the tip of the steel spear cleanly pierced through the head of the closest Shedim. [Edit: If the Host is unable to pay back, or dies in the following 120 Hours, his Soul will be taken and sold at the new Haeli Auction!] "Fuck you¡­" He shouted, just to grit his teeth at the sight of more than 30 iing fireballs that would turn him into a living torch in a matter of seconds. "...I agree¡­" Chapter 5 Soultrait ?[1000 Arcanium have been transferred as per agreement.] [The hostpleted the first-ever deal with the Arcane System. 10 Arcanium have been rewarded for this grandiose Achievement!] [Bnce: 1031 Arcanium] Liam ignored the frustration he felt toward the Arcane System for acting like the worst loan sharks in existence as he pushed the notifications aside. He looked at the holographic screen of the Arcane Shop and purchased the Soul Awakening by spending 1000 Arcanium. [1000 Arcanium will be deducted to artificially awaken the Host''s Soul. Please select how long the Soul Awakening should take!] [Remark: The longer the artificial awakening of the Soul takes, the less pain the Host will feel. This is directly rted to the coa¨C...] The Arcane System was just about tounch into an borate exnation of why the artificial awakening of the Soul would be less painful the longer the process takes when Liam''s voice thundered through the heavy downpour. "Shut up, and finish my Soul Awakening right at this instance!" While his voice reverberated through the surroundings, the Arcane System initiated Liam''s Soul awakening. It felt like time slowed down all of a sudden as the raindrops in front of him froze midair. They were slowly being pulled to the ground through the gravitational force, yet it looked like it would require several hours for a drop of water to ssh on the wet stone cliff. ''Has my perception heightened to the extreme?'' He could only think before searing pain spread out from his chest. The phenomenon of a Soul Awakening was something miraculous¡­something that was supposed to make you feel good and oddly addictive. It was not supposed to be something that hurt but an event that allowed the awakened to get a rough understanding of the tremendous power the Soul harbors. Under normal circumstances, the Soul Awakening wouldst between one to three days, in which the Soul would not only awaken but the changes caused by the awakened Soul would be fully integrated into the body. However, Liam had sped up the process so it was only obvious that it would hurt. Liam didn''t have any time to sit and wait, which is why he did the only thing he could think of standing a chance against the hordes of Shedims without running away like a frightened chick! That was why he had to steel his mind and endure everything that was about to happen. It would only hurt for a short moment, either way. That moment may feel like an eternity but that was fine! However, nothing his imagination could have prepared him for helped when the moment dawned upon him. It felt like his insides were exploding when his Soul was forcefully awoken from its slumber. The shackles put on his Soul began to crack and they were slowly removed with every single explosion that rattled through his entire body. The core of his Soul was awakening and the outeryers were slowly freed from the restrictions that had been put on them. The explosions released a tremendous amount of energy that filled Liam''s entire body. It was enough energy to shine through his pale white skin, making him look like his insides were on fire that burned despite the rain drenching him. His entire body began to glow for a brief moment and he had the sinister feeling that something was crawling out of him, from the deepest parts of his consciousness. It was as if he was dipping into a different world, a mysterious ce where he had never been before. The awakening waspletely different from thest time his Soul had awoken. The pain he had to endure was almost unbearable but he only focused on the end goal. Liam was not a fan of pain, but he could tell that the pain was worth the results he would obtain. He knew that he had done the right thing and that he would be rewarded as long as he continued to endure the pain! The sensation of something crawling out of his consciousness was eerie and it grew worse when he realized that the ''thing'' was crawling up his spine, through his skull before it found its destination¡­his eyeballs. A blinding light spread out from the center of his sight and it didn''t take long until Liam saw only white. Unable to see due to his clouded vision, he could only focus on the searing pain that umted in his eyes. The rest of his body was holding up much better than moments before. It was not as if he didn''t feel any pain in his legs, arms, and everywhere else anymore, but nothing wasparable to the pain that reached his eyes. It was as if somebody was gouging his eyes with pincers. The cells in his eyes were destroyed, altered, and repaired. These alterations were repeated hundreds of times in an instant causing tremendous pain that spread through his eyes that were slowly changing. It looked like the purple color of his iris was intensifying and expanding. Faint, cobweb-like purple strands expanded all over his iris. The white of his eye was pushed back and overshadowed by the intense purple that stopped expanding when the pain in Liam''s eyes began to recede. Liam regained his eyesight slowly as the dazzling light was dispelled. The pain that spread through his entire body was still apparent but Liam could clearly see again. He felt as if time was slowly unfreezing and the raindrops were falling much faster than before. His perception would return to the norm in some time. And, as if the Arcane System wanted to give him a clear indicator, a notification popped up in front of him as his perception returned to the norm. [Soul was awakened sessfully! Soultrait¡ºDevil''s Eyes¡»has been attained!] Liam squinted his eyes when he saw the name of the Soultrait he had awoken and he couldn''t help but feel that something had gone wrong. ''That''s my Soultrait? Sounds like bullshit¡­I''m already half-devil, you smartass¡­'' Liam cursed the system before he noticed something that changed his point of view of the situation. The raindrops all around him started to fall at a much slower speed than before his Soul Awakening! ''..well, whatever¡­I just take what I get!'' He thought, closing his eyes while triggering the effect of his Soultrait. Liam opened his eyes while his Soultrait''s active effect was activated, and the corners of his lips curled upward unknowingly. "Why are you fuckers so slow?" Chapter 6 One-Man Army ?"Why are you fuckers so slow?" Liam asked in a calm voice as he took a small step forward. With the grace of a hunter, he thrust the steel pierce forward while narrowly avoiding the fireballs and des that would have hit him otherwise. With the least possible movement, Liam avoided all iing attacks while piercing the head of the closest Sheim. His eyes were glowing brightly, with much more intensity than before as Arcane Power was slowly consumed to maintain the active effect of the Devil''s Eyes. Liam''s iris was still purple, but everything else had changed about his eyes. His irises were speckled with bright white dots that resembled stars, while the pupils, and the dark center of his eyes, looked like swirling vortexes of darkness, almost as if his eyes sealed away the abyss. The white of his eyes was shrouded with a hazy shade of purple and ck, like the diffuse glow of a gxy. It was almost as if his eyes were the skies itself, housing several celestial objects, the vessels of gxies¡­ And those celestial objects allowed him to see much better and devour the most important pieces of information to deduce the trajectory and movement sequences of the projectiles and beings within his range of view. Liam felt as if his eyes took in all information before they filtered out the unnecessary data while only the most important and relevant details were sent to his brain. This exceptional feature and the fact that his brain seemed to have finally recognized the limitations of Liam''s current strength were more than what he needed to eliminate the foes that had amassed in front of him. Thus, it was no surprise that the Shedim in front of him died in the blink of an eye. [Ordinary Shedim has been yed] [+0.25 Arcanium] Liam noted that he received only a quarter of the Arcanium he had obtainedpared to earlier when defeating Ordinary Shedim before he obtained his Soultrait, but that was something he had already expected. Arcanium could be used to buy almost anything. It could be procured by killing other beings just like Liam had already done before, bypleting missions, or by selling goods to other people. However, it was not easy to gather wealth by killing itself. The Arcane System''s equation was pretty simple. The rank of the opponent multiplied by their actualbat prowess would be divided by Liam''s rank which was also multiplied by his actualbat prowess. By attaining his Soultrait, Liam''sbat prowess increased drastically even if his stats were still far below the stats of the Shedim, resulting in the 0.25 Arcanium he obtained in the end. He could use his remaining 31.25 Arcanium to increase his stats to stand on equal footing with the Shedim but Liam didn''t even think of doing that. Increasing his stats would decrease the amount of Arcanium he received from every Shedim he killed even further¡­and he no longer needed higher stats! Liam moved to the side and evaded a handful of attacks before in a quick move he pierced the heart of the next Shedim. At the same time, he freed the Shedim''s steel longsword from its grasp by twisting its ws before he spun around his own axis. [+0.25 Arcanium] The steel spear was smoothly retracted in his spin, and Liam had gotten his hand on a new weapon, a well-bnced longsword that seemed to be smiling at him. It could be used for hacking and cutting which was not something he could do with the steel spear he held. The spear''s de was not made to crudely sh through his opponents but just stab and gut them. The longsword''s de was sharpened to a fine edge, and it was perfectly bnced for his purpose, which turned it into a versatile and effective murder weapon! Liam didn''t spend precious time marveling at the craftsmanship of the longsword. Instead, he spun the steel spear in his left hand before he threw it in the most crowded ce with terrific precision that caused goosebumps to appear all over his body when three notifications popped up in the corner of his eyes. [+0.25 Arcanium] [+0.25 Arcanium] [+0.25 Arcanium] The corners of Liam''s mouth curled upward upon seeing the notification that showed the result of his spear throw. It had killed three Shedim at the same time, piercing through the most rotten areas of their hearts. ''Am I a walking cheat code now?'' He wondered for a moment as he diverted the trajectory of a spear thrust just to take a step forward and behead the Shedim that had attacked him. Afterward, he turned into a whirlwind, evading all iing attacks with graceful but urate movements that didn''t drain his stamina as fast as before. He countered the attacks every now and then, killing more than ten Shedim in the following two minutes. His Arcane Power should have been drained by now, but he had still more than half left to use. Others might be surprised by this but not Liam. It was not his ''fortune'' that he had still a few more minutes left to use his Arcane Power before it would be fully drained. Rather than luck, the reason why he had so much Arcane Power left and why it was drained so slowly was thanks to the energy that had entered his body to awaken his Soul artificially. Its remnants were still in his body and it allowed him to maintain the Devil''s Eyes trait''s active effect. Liam was a little bit confused why he awoke the Soultrait that was different from the Soultrait he had before. It was not as if his Soul had been exchanged all of a sudden! The Name also suggested that the Soultrait was only rted to his mother''s side of the bloodline. He should have awoken a Soultrait of the mixed blood he was, or two different Soultraits¡­ not only one that was rted to his mother¡­logically speaking. But no matter how much Liam wanted to think about it, the change in his primary Soultrait didn''t affect the fact that it was most important to be able to make use of his Soultrait in the fight against the Shedim. It was fine to possess a different Soultrait even though he didn''t expect the oue when he betted his life on the Soul Awakening. His eyes could see much more than ever before, after all! With that conviction in mind, Liam continued to fight. He exploited his Soultrait to its limits. The Halfling faced the small army of Shedim all by himself. He fought with all his might and turned it into a One-man-army! Chapter 7 Demon Slayer ?[The Host yed 50 Lesser Demons within the first hour of the Arcane Apocalypse. Achievement¡ºDemon yer¡»has been attained. [+25 Arcanum has been rewarded!] cing his hands on his knees, Liam took a moment to catch his breath and survey his surroundings to assess if there were more Shedim to kill. Fortunately, that was not the case. His Arcane Power had been drained and the active effect of his Soultrait had worn off as well. Liam''s eyes changed back to the bright purple hue and it didn''t look like he had a gxy sealed in his eyes anymore. The hazy hue around his eyes had also dispersed, leaving behind a dead-tired Halfling. Liam could barely hold the two longswords that he had used to increase his kill count against the small army of Shedim. Their corpses were littered all over the cliff and they created a trail down to the basalt underground tower. Its massive and ancient gates were still wide open, and Liam entered without any hesitation. The gloomy atmosphere within the tower was enough to make the hair stand on the back of his neck but Liam was too exhausted to bother about any of that. He took a good look around the ground floor of the underground tower and frowned lightly. "I didn''t expect much¡­but there is literally nothing of value inside¡­" He cursed while taking a quick nce at his status screen. [Arcanium: 73.75] The achievement rewarded him a considerable amount of Arcanium which was almost as much as he had obtained from the number of Shedims he killed. Unfortunately, none of that wasparable to the fortune he could obtain from the Shedims'' bodies and their steel weapons. Other races would love to pay a small fortune to get their hands on the corpses of Lesser Demons. They would research them, and dissect their bodies in order to find out the most efficient and brutal ways to kill them and what body parts were useful to create Artifacts, potions, and other useful goods. "If only I had a shop¡­" Liam grumbled as he had no way to carry the Shedim corpses around. He couldn''t even carry a multitude of weapons around because the Arcane Apocalypse had just started and his movements had to be smooth and unrestricted. Carrying a dozen weapons around, no matter how precious or useful, would just kill him instead of saving his life! That was why he required a Storage Artifact, or a means to sell his war spoils immediately. The former was not cost-efficient right now while thetter was not easy to achieve. After all, permanent shops were extremely expensive. Even small shops were not easy to build, which Liam clearly realized upon looking at the price for Shop Certificates. [Temporary Shop Certificate(Lowest-5 Days) ¨C 1000 Arcanium] "Arcane Shop, can I get another loan?" Liam asked in-between two heavy breaths, not expecting to hear a pleasant answer. Unexpectedly, he received a p on his face as the Arcane System answered only momentster. [Analysispleted¡­Active Loan Contract detected¡­secondary loan interest rate has been calcted.] [The Host''s secondary loan interest rate has been finalized at apound interest rate of 50% a day. Tip: Pay back your debt to obtain a better interest rate!] "...Just tell me if you don''t want to give me another loan¡­" Liam spat vengefully at the Arcane system, but then fell silent. It was not as if he excepted a miracle from the Arcane System. ''It guessed what I want to do and levied such a high-interest rate so as to not get abused¡­well, that''s only logical, I guess.'' He didn''t curse the system anymore and instead chose to take a look at the first underground floor of the tower. Liam didn''t feelfortable not knowing what kind of opponents might be walking up the staircase by now. And, just a short peek showed him a few Lesser Demons that caused his confidence to shatter immediately. The biggest problem he saw after craning his neck further down below was arger Shedim. It was a bulky Shedim without too many rotten spots. Its head look like the head of a snake and it had a long neck as well. ''A Mutated Elite Shedim? Well¡­that''s definitely too much for me to handle with those ridiculous stats¡­'' Liam muttered. He was prideful but not delusional, not yet at least. The Mutated Elite Shedim might not have been at the 1st Circle but its stats were certainly higher than Liam''s. That was not exactly hard, considering that the average human was supposed to have average stats between [E] and [F]. As for unranked Devils, even Lesser Devils would have stats at [B], and there was not even the need to start talking about the strength of his Mother and siblings. Right from the moment they were born, their power was already iparably higher than the average Lesser Devil, let alone humans. They couldn''t even enter Haltan before thendmass of the had been reinforced drastically to sustain their might simply because they were too strong. That was a good thing because it would take quite a while until the Arcane Power would slowly seep into Haltan and reawaken itpletely. Liam was happy about it. He would finally receive the much-needed freedom from his family, those annoying folks who didn''t even feel like killing him because they were too disgusted with his powers¡­ Liam shook his head and focused on resting. He essed the Arcane Shop and searched for a bunch of things. For a moment, he reconsidered increasing his Vitality and Stamina stat by using some Arcanium but that thought was quickly ignored. It was necessary for him to be ready to fight or run at any moment but it was not as if he was in immediate danger. The sounds from the first underground floor were amplified as they bounced off the basalt walls used to construct the underground tower. Liam considered that someone from the outside might attack them but it didn''t really matter. In the worst-case scenario, he could use his Arcanium to tweak his stats and adjust to the opponents that might attack once they got wind of him. He was more focused on the Arcane Shop where he got his hands on two items of which one was considered a limited edition. One of the two items he purchased was a potion called [Fortune''s Liquor], and it was a limited edition item with only 100 potions in the Arcane System''s stock. As for the other item, it was a [Detoxification Bandaid], which was a bandaid that extracts toxins within the body to a certain extent. The Bandaid was nothing special and it couldn''t remove 1st Circle toxins, however, that was not necessary. He was d that he could buy the Detoxification Bandaid for five Arcanium, which was a lot cheaper than the Fortune''s Liquor which was priced at 25 Arcanium. Liam''s fortune was drastically reduced to 43.75 Arcanium but he was perfectly fine with that. In fact, he was overjoyed with the purchase he made because it would elevate his chances of victory drastically. [¡ºFortune''s Liquor¡»¨CCircleless Unique Potion¨C Description: The Fortune''s Liquor is a special liquor with 89% Arcane alcohol, Dragnal Flower Syrup, ckwidow Bee Nectar, and 521 more ingredients. One droplet of the Fortune''s Liquor is enough to increase a random stat by one sub-rank with the limit being [D+]. Remark: The effect of the Fortune''s Liquor decreases subsequently after the first droplet until there won''t be an effect anymore!] The Vial of the Fortune''s Liquor was not veryrge. However, there were more than 30 droplets of viscous liquid inside. That was pretty neat and definitely worth the 25 Arcanium he paid for the potion. Increasing all of his stats from [G-] to [G] would have cost 3 Arcanium, which was not too expensive but it was only one rank nheless! The second increment from [G] to [G+] would cost 6 Arcanium and it would be even more expensive to artificially increase his stats afterward. It was possible to increase his stats with hard work but that was not something Liam had time for right now. Thus, he unstoppered the vial and closed his eyes as he downed the viscous Fortune''s Liquor down his throat. The moment the liquid made its way down his throat, Liam had to mp his mouth with his hands as a fierce, burning sensation swept over him. He nearly coughed up and spat out some of the precious liquid that he had swallowed hastily. Once he was certain that his body wouldn''t attempt to vomit everything, Liam carefully put the Detoxification Bandaid on his neck. Afterward, he just endured and waited for a bunch of notifications to appear right in front of him. [The Host''s Stamina increased.] [The Host''s Will increased.] [The Host''s Vitality increased.] [The Host''s Arcane Power increased.] [The Host''s Agility increased.] [The Host''s Strength increased.] Chapter 8 Mission ?"Looks like my Arcane Power gained the most¡­probably because of the high percentage of Arcane alcohol," Liam mumbled to himself when he felt the changes urring in his body. Arcane alcohol was alcohol that had been infused with Arcane Power. The percentage in the Fortune''s Liquor was so high that the Arcane Power in his body increased tremendously, which was why he couldn''t help but look at his status screen in interest. ?¡ª-?Entity Details??¡ª-? [Liam Wandel] [Halfling] [Devil/Human] [Rank: Circleless] [Soultrait:¡ºDevil''s Eyes¡»] [Arcanium: 43.75] ¡ª¡ª¡ª-?Stats?-¡ª¡ª¡ª [Vitality: (G+)] [Strength: (F-)] [Agility: (F-)] [Stamina: (G)] [Arcane Power: (E)] [Will: (G)] ?___________________? "...pretty good¡­" Liam simply said even if his words didn''t quite carry the conviction. His stats increased drastically but it was not as if they were suddenlyparable to a Mutant Elite Shedim in terms of their average stats. But he was confident of defeating the Mutant Elite Shedim even with lower stats. His Arcane Power would be the trump to his victory, yet instead of conquering the tower which had been created by one of his siblings, Liam chose a different tactic. He took a look at the¡ºMission¡»function of the Arcane System while trying not to get drunk because of the Fortune''s Liquor. The Detoxification Bandaid was actually quite helpful and Liam felt much better than expected as he skimmed through most Missions. If he had a shop, he would just conquer the underground tower, and sell the Lesser Demon corpses and all the goods he would haul as spoils of war for himself. However, he was too poor to do that for the time being. In fact, he was buried in debt which was also the reason why he was in dire need of a suitable mission. Unfortunately, he was interrupted in his research for the best mission in the given situation as Liam heard noises from the first underground floor reaching the ground floor. ''I know, I know¡­don''t rush me!'' Liam cursed as he fastened two scabbards for the longswords to his belt. He also attached a sling for a battle-axe to his belt. The holographic screen to his left was still open, showing him a bunch of missions but Liam ignored them for the time being. His focus was on leaving the underground tower, and he rushed outside without any hesitation. The heavy downpour had decreased considerably, which was barely noted as he walked over the muddy trail of bodies, their skulls and bones crunching under his feet. When he reached the cliff, Liam took a nce around the mountain range and inside the valley. The fissures in space had closed, indicating the end of the first wave. Earth, also called Haltan, the Interjunction of the Nine Realms, would now have to adjust to the Arcane Power that was forced upon it. A single nce at the System log was enough for Liam to figure out a few more things that were more or less important to know. [Permanent low-ranked Rifts have spawned all over Haltan. Monsters and other intelligent lifeforms will emerge on Haltan.] [Strongest being to have passed through the passage of Space; ¡ºHigh Elf, 2nd Circle(Advanced)¡»] After thest message, one could see detailed statistics about how many beings of each realm had emerged on Haltan, including a clear distribution of their rank. Only one out of a billion new lifeforms that had emerged on Haltan were at the 2nd Circle, and there were less than ten beings at the 2nd Circle on Haltan as of now. That not only indicated how ten billion lifeforms had emerged on Haltan since the Arcane Apocalypse had been initiated but also that it was not easy for higher-ranked beings to follow suit. For the time being, the ten beings at the 2nd Circle would be the strongest to infiltrate the without many otherpetitors. "System show me the customized missions!" Liam ordered loudly in response to the statistics that annoyed him a lot more than expected. He waited impatiently while his gaze turned back to the ominous gate of the underground tower. [A perfect mission has been created for the host!] [Mission¡ºProtect the Natives¡»can now be essed!] [¡ºProtect the Natives¡»¨CCustomized Mission¨C ¡¸Description¡¹The Natives of Haltan are filled with desperation and the fear of death. More than 250,000,000 Intelligent Lifeforms from Haltan have been killed since the Arcane Apocalypse was initiated. ¡¸Given task¡¹Protect 100 Natives until the storm disperses! The more Natives the Host protects actively, or passively, the higher the aplishment rate of the customized mission! ¡¸Reward¡¹Debt Removal ¡¸Possible additional Rewards¡¹Small Shop Certificate(15 Days), (???) Arcanium, Vial of Boundless Vitality(SSS) Remark: Host has to reach the Natives in the J Valley in the next 10 minutes, otherwise, the customized mission will disappear forever!] "10 minutes¡­" Liam quietly repeated the time limit before he acted almost instantaneously as he essed the Arcane Shop to purchase something. He had almost 44 Arcanium left to use but only spent 0.25 Arcanium to purchase arge camping backpack that was twice as long as an ordinary one. It had the perfect size to store arge stash of steel spears, which was exactly what he did. The more Natives he saved the better the rewards would be. It was clearly stated that the Arcane System didn''t care whether he actively or passively saved the Natives. Thus, the most efficient way to reap rewards would be to make sure that he could help the Natives to help themselves! Liam couldn''t be certain about that because his knowledge of Haltan was limited, however, the bits he knew about the and its inhabitants were enough to tell that not everyone in the city was in possession of a weapon. Most intelligent lifeforms on Haltan were humans as well. That made things much easier for Liam who purchased a ck Devil Mask at the Arcane Shop for 0.5 Arcanium. It was customized to fit his face perfectly, including the thorn that jutted out of his left forehead. Others would think that the horn was a part of his mask and that he was actually human, some sort of hero who was able to adjust faster than others. He didn''t care about being a human, let alone being considered a hero by them. The only thing that mattered to him was to sessfullyplete the customized mission, hopefully by receiving each of the three additional rewards. Liam had never heard about the Vial of Boundless Vitality before but it sounded like something he would need sooner orter. Thus, the steel spears would hopefully turn into his golden goose, and Liam rushed down the slippery slope of the mountain range once he got his hand on a suitable battle-axe and every single steel spear he could find all around the corpses of the Shedim. "A good thing that I learned the humannguage of Haltan and the Overworld before¡­" Chapter 9 Protect The Natives ?Liam didn''t waste any time as he rushed down the muddy slope of the valley. He intended to slide down the cliff on a Shedim corpse but there were too many uprooted trees, bushes, and other obstacles in his way. The highest incline of the slope was the most annoying to run down but Liam made it work. It took him only four minutes to rush down the slope, leaving him with six minutes to find a bunch of humans. Fortunately, that was rather easy because the scared humans of Haltan were screaming their lungs out. Their terrified screams filled the surrounding and were hard to miss. The screams drowned the sounds made by the storm and they gave Liam a rough guide to find his targets. ''Got it!'' He shouted in his mind while switching his direction immediately. He reached out to the small opening at the side of therge backpack and removed one steel spear before he closed the backpack once again. Liam surveyed his surroundings and scowled. The forest around him suddenly seemed to havee alive as the branches reached out to the ground like fingers and the leaves rustled loudly as if they were trying tomunicate with the storm and the wet soil. Mud andrge puddles of water turned it into a slippery terrain. Each step sent sshes of water into the air, slowing down Liam who was slowly losing his patience with the environment around him. ''I swear¡­if these greedy bastards won''t give me any Arcanium in exchange for the weapons, I will tear them apart the moment this mission is over!'' Liam swore to himself after he nearly tripped over a root that had been hidden under a thinyer of mud. He was not sure how long the heavy rain would continue but the rewards of the customized mission were pretty big, indicating that it wouldn''t be easy to protect a hundred Natives until the storm would disperse. Rushing through the muddy forest as fast as he could, Liam discovered many things. There were not as many monsters in his immediate surroundings as he would have expected and the few monsters he saw were not bothered by him. Like him, they too were heading in the same direction he rushed to right now. A few more minutes passed before Liam reached a teau where only a bunch ofrge trees were located. A manmade trail of cobblestones connected therge trees that were located just behind arge construction that looked like a big container, a cuboid made out of bricks with countless ss windows. However, neither the trees, the cobbled trail, nor the building attracted Liam''s attention. The bunch of humans were shivering in fright, and their uniforms that were drenched in water were what pulled his attention over to them. The humans were scared shitless which was not that hard to see. ''Students? A school or academy? There must be hundreds of them¡­jackpot!!'' Liam thought the moment he saw the young humans that were likely between 14-18 years old. All of them were wearing a simr uniform, and only the middle-aged man who stood in front of them was wearing something different. The middle-aged man was also trembling but he stood in front of his students nheless. If Liam didn''t know the true nature of humans, he might have actually believed that the schrly middle-aged man was willing to sacrifice his life to protect his students. Fortunately, he was not that foolish! He looked to the left of the students and Liam could finally see why everyone was so scared. Rats the size ofrge dogs were wing and chewing the steel fence that had been erected around the school''s premises to prevent wild animals from identally entering the schoolyard. Until now that had been enough to restrict animals but with the appearance of actual monsters, ordinary steel fences would not fare for long. [The customized Mission¡ºProtect the Natives¡»has been activated. Good Luck!] ''I don''t need lu¡­no, scratch that. Give me as much luck as possible!'' Liam shouted in his mind when he finally reached the cobbled trail. Moving around was much easier without all the mud holding him back. That way, he could run toward the group of humans while taking a proper look at the situation ahead. ''Ordinary Huge Rats, zing Tooth Rats¡­Elite Ratatuo¡­well that''s still fine, somehow!'' Liam ended up thinking. He had expected to find worse beasts to fight considering that his rewards were pretty nice. The only issue he detected was the number of opponents he would have to face. There were thousands of rats and it was quite obvious that he couldn''t deal with them all by himself. ''Good thing that I brought these with me!'' He told himself while tightly grasping the steel spear in his hand. Liam spun the spear in his right hand while rushing over the cobbled trail. The ss of 30ish students and their teacher were paralyzed due to their fear and stood frozen in ce. They had no idea what to do and where to go. Almost all rats were trying to find their way inside the school after following the sounds of terror and desperation to nibble at their prey. However, there were still a few dog-sized rats that sensed the ss who had gone out for their environmental studies of the valley''s forest¡­ Who would have thought that their practical ss would end up like this? A handful of huge rats were slowly inching closer to the humans, finding their way through the mud. Their teeth ttered viciously as they approached the paralyzed students and the teacher whose legs were still quivering in fear. Nobody was able to move and the heavy downpour prevented anyone from noticing that a few students had just wetted themselves. The rats squeaked loudly which made a few of the already frightened students to pass out as fear overcame them. Their death was certain. At least that was what most of them believed right now. There was no way to escape the attack of thousands of dog-sized rats even if only a few were actually attacking their group right now. They couldn''t use their bare hands to tear apart the rats because they didn''t possess superhuman strength! As for weapons, they couldn''t even dream about getting their hands on some weapons. Their school certainly did not have an armory. And, it was not as if weapons would magically appear in front of them just because they wanted to! "Catch that!" A calm voice reverberated through the surrounding, reaching the wildly twitching ears of the students as a gray glint shot through the air. A momentter, a loud squeal overflowing with pain reached everyone''s ear. The sheep-sized rat, the biggest out of the batch of all rats who had chosen to attack them, had been impaled. The tip of a steel spear was stuck deep in its brain, killing the fearsome rat in an instant. ¡­ Or maybe¡­just maybe, weapons would rain down in front of them?... Chapter 10 Protector ?Liam had used bits of his Arcane power to shroud the tip of the steel spear with it. By doing this, he reinforced the steel of the spear de, which was why the spear didn''t even sustain a scratch when it lodged itself deep into the sheep-sized rat''s body. The rat''s long and dangerously gleaming red-colored teeth were exposed as it let out ast, high-pitched squeal before it slumped down on the ground not even five meters in front of the petrified students and the teacher. [zing Tooth Rat has been yed] [+0.5 Arcanium] ''Stingy bastard!'' Liam cursed in his mind as he closed in to the humans whom he had encountered. They were all cowering in fear and stood huddled in front of therge iron gate that was also the only way inside the school. The keys to the lock could be seen lying on the ground behind the fence, beyond his reach. Liam was not sure how theynded there but he couldn''t waste time wondering about it for the time being. His task was to protect the students and the locked gate was in his way, preventing him from doing exactly that. He retrieved a second spear from therge backpack, shrouded the tip in a minuscule amount of Arcane Power, and threw it at the gate''s lock which burst open in an instant. Liam ignored the gazes he drew onto himself as he removed the entire backpack from his shoulders before he hurled it toward the teacher. "Take the weapons and start fighting!" He shouted, still ignoring the gazes that loomed on him. Liam was still a few meters away from the group of students but some of the Rats were closing in on them. However, instead of finding a way to lead the group of humans into safety, he unsheathed one longsword and the battle axe that was secured to his belt thanks to thetch he had used to fasten it. Running around with the battle axe had been a little bit of a nuisance but Liam was quite thankful that he could make use of it almost immediately. Looking at the seemingly ordinary steel battle axe with its short wooden handle, he couldn''t help but smile. There was no design on the wooden handle and the same could be said about the de. However, the most important thing to notice about the battle axe was that the de was wide and curved with a fearsome edge that could cut through everything. It was dark in color and well-tempered, but none of that was important to Liam as long as it did its job well. He rushed closer to the muddy soil through which the rats could progress only slowly before he began hacking and sawing through the rats, one after another with the longsword. Liam allowed a handful of rats to approach them, just to end their miserable life by beheading them or cutting their brain with a powerful cleave of the battle axe. It was more of a cleaver, either way! [Ordinary Huge Rat has been yed] [+0.1 Arcanium] [+0.1 Arcanium] [+0.1 Arcanium] After a few ordinary huge rats had been killed, Liam was forced to evade the attack of a zing Tooth Rat. The sheep-sized rat was trying to overwhelm him with its stats that were higher than his own, which resulted in Liam getting pushed back¡­or so it seemed. Liam blocked the zing Tooth Rat''s attack with the battle axe while thrusting the longsword deep into the monster''s abdomen. He twisted the sword de mercilessly and dragged it down through the rat''s abdomen before he pulled it out. Just a momentter, a familiar notification appeared in front of him. [zing Tooth Rat has been yed] [+0.5 Arcanium] Liam didn''t receive many Arcanium for each kill but that was not important right now, either way. He was at an advantage and could kill dozens, if not hundreds of Ordinary Huge Rats under the current circumstances. His opponents were slowed down in the mud, he had vastbat experience on all kinds of battlefields and he was armored with two decent weapons that could be used to ughter and protect. After Liam finished the second zing Tooth Rat, he took a moment to catch his breath. He stepped back and nced toward the group of students and the teacher who had yet to move. They looked at Liam as if he was a mythical creature from a fairytale, a fae that had magicallye to their rescue! ''Should I just leave them behind?'' Liam thought for a moment before he grit his teeth in anger and frustration. "If you guys don''t want to die, at least don''t stand in my way¡­" He swore under his breath before muttering loudly, "Take the steel spears and use your Soultraits to fight, you brainless idiots!" It was quite obvious that the sudden change in Haltan was too much to ept for most humans who had lived a peaceful life far from war but things had changed now. To those who had never even killed a living being, it might be hard to ept the new truth and life that had been forced onto them, however, Liam was not someone who would bother about that. He had been abandoned by everyone, banished from everywhere, and forced to kill to survive from a young age. His mother and siblings had always yed around with him, or so theybeled it whenever they treated him like a piece of trash. They tortured him, and gave him seemingly impossible missions one after another, just to brief him about the situation on Haltan as his first opportunity to gain freedom. It was the first time in his life that nobody could control him in any way, and Liam wouldn''t allow anyone to take it away from him! On Haltan, he had free reign and he wanted to make use of the environmental advantage that allowed him to move much faster than the rats. This advantage was only temporary because the corpses of the rats were slowly stacking up in the mud, paving a way for other rats to him and the students as themotion would attract more of them. However, the students were still not moving, which forced Liam to go out of his way and activate his Soultrait. The number of rats rushing at them increased drastically over time, and that was mostly the humans'' fault. The rats may not be able to smell and see much in the heavy rain but they could clearly sense the fear of the students and the teacher. Liam got to understand that the n he had worked out in his mind was not going as smoothly as expected. Thus, he changed his way to approach the situation. "I will abandon you guys if you don''t move in the next ten seconds!" Chapter 11 Massacre ?"I will abandon you guys if you don''t move in the next ten seconds!" Liam shouted out a warning. His voice traveled through the heavy rain and his words rang through the minds of the students and the teacher who flinched. At the first nce, it sounded like Liam''s words were just a means to encourage everyone to start fighting for themselves, however, everyone could tell that the pale young man would actually abandon them if they didn''t act on his orders soon. This was the feeling they got upon seeing the eyes that had been hidden behind the mask of the young man. Liam''s eyes were like a vortex that sucked everything inside them. They were deep and a hazy purple hue shrouded them, making him look eerie and ominous. However, all of that turned insignificant when the overall picture entered the view of the students. It was as if a sealed gxy was coldly staring down at them. There were no emotions in the eyes of the unknown masked savior, which made a few students feel like their savior had been forced to help them. They knew that it didn''t really make any sense for anyone to be forced to rescue them. Nobody must be stronger than their savior¡­or was it just their wishful thinking? Too many thoughts shed through the minds of the humans who witnessed a brutal massacre unfolding in front of them. Dozens of corpses were scattered across the school yard, their blood turning the muddy water brownish red, all of them killed by a single individual. Liam was massacring every rat that came too close to the students but he also noticed that he was slowly losing his upper hand against the rats. They were simply too many and even the ordinary huge rats were not much weaker than him. The only advantage Liam had was his Soultrait and that his Arcane Power had been upgraded to [E]. It was possible for him to keep his Soultrait activated for a little while. This made it easier for Liam to perceive everything in his view, digest the most important pieces of information and forward them to his brain where they would be processed in the blink of an eye. Using his Devil''s Eyes gave him the necessary means to determine that it was time to leave if the students wouldn''t join the fight. The rats charging at them continued to increase in number, after all! The corpses had paved a clear path for the other rats to reach the students and Liam could clearly see a few huge rats rushing past him left and right. However, there was not much for him to do because he was upied with two zing Tooth Rats. He blocked one of the rats with the battle axe''s t side while twisting his body in an ufortable degree as he leaned forward. His back nearly touched the muddy ground and he was about to lose his footing just to evade the vicious ws of the second zing Tooth Rat. Liam couldn''t risk sustaining any injuries because that was what would kill him in the long run. Exhaustion could bepensated by purchasing potions but wounds couldn''t be healed instantaneously, not with potions, at least. Thus, he would rather exhaust himself by doing movement sequences that strained his entire body rather than risk getting injured. That was how Liam ended up evading the attack of the second zing Tooth Rat while swinging the longsword at the first zing Tooth Rat. The de slid deep inside the flesh of his opponent as he heard the sound of flesh tearing apart and bones cracking under the force of the de, followed by a pained squeal that quieted down not long after. [+0.5 Arcanium] Liam pushed his left foot backward to regain bnce. He didn''t want to fall in the slippery mud because it would be a hassle to get out of the mud while getting attacked. There was no way that he could waste time wrestling with a bunch of lowly monsters in the mud, and he had a mission to finish with flying colors as well! Liam pushed himself beyond his limit and regained bnce, ready to charge at the second zing Tooth Rat when he halted in his tracks for a moment. He saw four students piercing their steel spears inside the monster that was struggling hard in a feeble attempt to ensure its survival. The four students were shivering because it was cold, their clothes were drenched in dirty rainwater and they were walking on thin ice that could be cut through at any time if they didn''t start acting. In fact, even if the students were to start acting now, it might already be toote! Liam shot forward, his eyes gleaming coldly through the small slits within the ck devil mask as he cleaved down with the battle axe. A few other students let out a blood-curdling wail, their fear-stricken minds making them believe that Liam was just about to kill their fellow peers when the head of the zing Tooth Rat fell to the ground, decapitated from its body. [zing Tooth Rat has been yed. Equal Contribution detected!] [+0.1 Arcanium] Blood spurted out of the monster''s neck like a fountain and the students were showered in warm, sickly blood, some more some less. Liam noted their disgusted reaction to the warm blood that sttered on their clothes and faces before his eyes flicked over to the other students. Their hysterical cries intensified further when the huge rats started to tear apart their clothes to feed on the tender flesh below, while others had gotten their hands on one of Liam''s steel spears. He didn''t have that many steel spears in therge backpack but it would take a while to remove all of them. At least that was what Liam expected when he noticed that a rather small figure hushed through the rows of students, briskly handing out the spears he had retrieved from the backpack. Liam could tell that the student was moving rapidly, which was owed to his high Agility stat and the fact that his Soultrait''s passive effect was already activated. However, it was also pretty clear that the student was built like an athlete and that he knew how to use his muscles to move at a phenomenal speed. ''Let''s see how many of you guys will survive!'' Chapter 12 Fighting Back (1) ?"If you don''t know how to use your Soultraits, open the status screen and speak the name out loud. Your Soultraits will be triggered and you may instinctively feel what you can do with it," Liam exined hastily before adding yet another instruction to the weary looking humans. "Use your Arcanium to increase your Strength and Agility!" Even if it was not polite to tell others what they were supposed to do, Liam did so nheless. If the students were already strong enough to fend for themselves, he would not be required to save them. And, it was quite obvious that the students were already struggling to eliminate a single huge rat. Liam was slowly getting tired which was also why he essed the Arcane System to quickly purchase something. [2x ¡ºEnergizer(F-Rank)¡»have been purchased. 2 Arcanium have been deducted!] Two small reagents filled with yellow liquid materialized in front of Liam and he had to act quickly to catch them in midair. He barely caught it in his left hand while maintaining a firm hold over the battle-axe. It was difficult to hold everything together but there was no time toin about the trivial difort of holding too many things at the same time. If that were to be his only problem, Liam would be quite happy right now. He used his teeth to remove the lid of the vials before he gulped down the bitter liquid. After that, his Stamina consumption seemed to decrease rapidly and it felt like his energy was increasing. Liam shot forward again, using the corpse path to block the strongest rats from making their way up to the students. They were currently forced to experience their first kills, the first lives they took while wielding cold weapons whose sole purpose was to take lives. It was only obvious that the students were beyond shocked but the psychological burden that was forced upon the students was too hard for many to handle. Thus, Liam acted as the temporary spearhead of the ground and filtered out the massive threats. He blocked the strongest and taunted most rats to pull toward him, leaving less vicious ones for the students to tackle. His mission said that he had to protect the natives to the best of his ability and that was exactly what he was doing right now. However, that didn''t mean he would go out of his way to protect them. Sacrificing himself by jumping in front of the rats that swarmed at him from all possible directions was not something he would do. He had to be alive to protect others, and he was not willing to risk being injured just to protect them either. Rather than sustaining injuries, or going out of his way to protect the students, it was much better to let himself loose and improve hispatibility with the weak-ass physical strength that restricted him from going all out. It felt like an eternity since he had been so weak and useless. Even ordinary Circleless monsters were able to fight against him head-on. In fact, they were all stronger in terms of stats. Even the strength of the ordinary huge rats seemed to be higher than his. Liam was only fortunate that he was not in need of an extremely high-strength stat to drive his razor-sharp steel weapons into his opponents. ''I will just finish this fucking mission and then leave them for good¡­'' He thought while taking a nce behind his back to see how the students were faring. Toote did he notice that he had long since walked down a different path than he told himself. It was not necessary for him to protect everyone, yet he chose to fight the rats outside the school building rather than turning the school into an imprable fortress. This would have made things so much easier and the sacrifices would have been mere humans, strangers from apletely different realm. Yet, seeing the way everyone looked at him with hope and a glint of reverence as he massacred dozens if not more than a hundred rats right in front of their eyes made him feel he was not abandoned. It was as if time had slowed down right in front of the students. They could only see the rapid movements of the masked man and the raindrops that continued to fall onto the ground in a steady downpour. Blood, body parts, and intestines littered the ground and the schoolyard was slowly filling up with corpses, that had now begun to pile up. "Let''s go inside!" The teacher shouted all of a sudden. He had just killed his second ordinary huge rat and was slowly getting the hang of the situation. His nk mind was slowly filled with well-construed thoughts and a rough understanding of their predicament along with steps to avoid it shed through his mind. It was too dangerous to stay outside the school building because the horde of rats seemed to be infinite. Even if it may not be much better inside the school building, it would certainly be better than staying idle in their current position, out in the open. However, nobody moved in ordance with the teacher''s words. They were all staring at Liam, who was slowly overwhelmed by the number of opponents that flocked in his direction. The teacher could tell what his students were thinking because he was exactly wondering about the same. The unknown human who wore the mask of a devil was powerful. It was obvious to everyone that the masked man was someone with extensivebat experience, someone who was not afraid to kill for his own survival. Even if the teacher didn''t want to acknowledge it, they needed this strength¡­they needed the masked man! "Sir, follow us inside¡­we can hold them off much better once we''re in the school building!" The teacher shouted while turning to the school gate. He dragged a few students up from the ground, ignoring their miserable state of utter fear, and rushed inside with them. At least that was what he wanted to do as all eyes followed him when a zing Tooth Rat emerged in front of the teacher. ''Is that how I am going to die?'' He wondered, cursing his misfortune that was tailing him since a young age when something flew past him with a humming voice. A momentter, the zing Tooth Rat squealed out painfully as a battle-axe with arge de lodged itself deep inside the shoulder of the monster, pinning it to the ground. Liam rushed past the teacher with nimble steps and pierced the zing Tooth Rat''s heart. [+0.5 Arcanium] Afterward, he pulled the battle axe out of the monster, just to respond to the teacher in an impassive voice. "Alright¡­let''s go!" ** If you like the novel add it to the library and leave some powerstones for the poor Author! ** Chapter 13 Fighting Back (2) ?Everyone watched Liam as he rushed past them. The rats hesitated for a moment because they could instinctively tell that the apex predator who killed dozens of them within minutes wouldn''t flee just like that. Their instincts restricted them, and they gave the humans the opportunity to stare at his retreating figure for a while before they followed him subconsciously. The humans didn''t even know that their legs carried them toward Liam, the mysterious masked man who hade to their rescue. Everyone''s movements were much less tense than before and the fear that had enveloped them for thest few minutes was dispersed. It was just a momentary state in which their mind grew nk but that was enough to make them rush behind Liam who had entered the schoolyard by now. He stopped and looked behind as if he was waiting for thest students to reach him. ''The Gate cannot be closed anymore¡­obviously,'' Liam thought contrary to the students'' expectations that they were safe inside and it was just a momentter that he rushed back. Thest student was just about to enter the schoolyard through the open Gate when Liam pierced out with the longsword. A shriek escaped the young female student who had bite marks all over her leg as the longsword''s de whizzed past her head. The de missed her ear by a hair''s breadth. She nearly fainted due to shock as a squeal of pain rang through her ears from behind. [+0.5 Arcanium] Liam pierced the heart of the zing Tooth Rat that had pounced at the student with the intention to tear her apart. Afterward, he halted in his tracks while taking a deep breath. The right side of the metal fence was still holding itself strongly. As for the left side, Liam''s earlier spear had missed its target and instead had broken the lock which was also why the Gate was wide open. ''If the Gate doesn''t hold the rats back, I might as well create a wall of corpses!'' Liam told himself while taking a deep breath. The remains of Arcane Power that surged through his body were churning wildly and Liam was ready to use it all in the following fight. Most Ordinary Huge Rats tried to avoid him the moment they recognized the opponent they were about to face but Liam didn''t give them the opportunity to slow down, let alone to evade his attack. Even if the rats wanted to evade his attacks, they had nowhere to run or hide from him either way. Their brethren were to their left and right, and they were being pushed forward without mercy from behind as well. Their numerical advantage which was their biggest strength quickly turned into their biggest disadvantage as they were all packed in a small space, rendering them unable to fight properly and defend themselves. The rats'' stats were useless if they couldn''t make use of them! Liam killed close to a dozen rats in a rampage of precisely aimed shes and thrusts and everyone in the schoolyard couldn''t help but stare at the reliable broad back of the young man who fought behind the Gate to stall the rats for a few more seconds. Liam''s back was packed with tightly coiled muscles that were clearly visible through the white shirt in which he had been thrown onto Haltan. It looked almost as if Liam''s body was carved by a master sculptor, creating a living statue of marble infused with the experience of a War God. Some students were influenced by Liam''s words and actions. They rushed toward Liam and started to help him by piercing through the flesh of the huge rats that would have escaped Liam inevitably. Five students ended up lining up next to Liam, fighting with all their might, using the steel spears their savior brought to them. ''Better than nothing, I guess,'' Liam thought when he noted the support he was given by the young humans who had never killed in their life. It infused him with renewed vigor and caused Liam to move faster, smoother, and detect the trajectory of every single monster in his sight. The efficiency with which he killed the rats elerated tremendously, while the eyes trained on him widened in shock. Liam''s demeanor had changed as the adaption process with his weakened body increased drastically. He fought valiantly despite the imminent threat of death looming over him, and the scythe of the Grim Reaper tightly pressed against his neck was more than enough to force him to adapt to his body''s condition and ovee the issue. Thus, a sudden change in his presence could be witnessed by everyone. His ck devil mask felt like a shadow cast in the shape of a face. It loomed in the darkness and only surfaced to cause destruction and chaos. The mask was inky ck in color as if it had absorbed even thest speck of light that touched it and its eyes were hollow sockets that unveiled the liveliness of the gxies that seemed to be sealed in the eyes of their mysterious savior. None of them had ever seen eyes like that of their savior. They were alive and drew everyone''s attention onto them as if they had bewitched all the living beings that dared to look at them. However, Liam''s eyes were not the only parts of his body that set him apart. There was a jagged horn that rose up from the left side of his forehead. It was a symbol of power and terror, a testament to the otherworldly nature of the mask, yet, nobody could even remotely imagine that the horn was actually part of their mysterious savior, not a decorative piece of the mask. If they knew about his origin, the students might act differently and that was not something he needed right now. The fight at the Gate of the schoolyard continued for another minute in which Liam witnessed how the human students finally began to start using their Soultraits as well. It was obvious that the students'' stats were higher than his own even if he was much stronger than before. However, their movements were still sluggish and they couldn''t kill mercilessly, let alone efficiently. More students came to their ssmates'' aid but most of them ended up vomiting on the ground and trembling uncontrobly after they realized that they had just killed other living beings. Others were crying bitterly, snot running down their noses as they pierced the spears into the violently writhing masses of the rats. ''They started to spread out? The fence is not enough¡­ we need to move to a different ce¡­'' Chapter 14 Elite Ratatuo ?Liam was trying to pick the perfect time to retreat. There were simply too many rats and the metal fence wasn''t a permanent solution. The same could be said about the small mountain of corpses that had formed through the death of hundreds of horned rats. More than a third of the students he saved were trying their utmost to fight. None of them was fearless but they understood that Liam couldn''t defeat thousands of rats all by himself. If they wanted to survive it was imperative for them to learn how to fight for themselves! Liam saw from the corner of his eyes that a few Elite Ratatuo had destroyed the metal fence right next to the school building. Dozens of huge rats, zing Tooth Rats, and the Elite Ratatuo made their way through the metal fence but their targets weren''t Liam and the students around him. Instead, they smelled fear and decided to stalk easy prey. Thus they followed their instincts and jumped through the windows of the ground floor to make their way inside the school where screams of terror followed soon not muchter. "Is there a ce without windows, or where the windows are at least five meters above the ground?" Liam asked out loud, not expecting the students around him to give him a logical answer. Without expectations, it would be harder to disappoint him. Nheless, he hoped for the best. Liam racked his brain to recall a few buildingplexes from earlier when he had looked down the cliff. The images of the city were still vivid in his mind but that didn''t mean he knew the city better than the students who had been living there for a bunch of years already. "The¡­ the library¡­no¡­the hospital?" The voice of a young man reached Liam''s ears. Looking to the side, Liam saw a young man with blonde hair. His eyes were filled with golden electricity currents and his movements were rapid. The young man was one of the few human students who had been the first to spring into action. Liam remembered him blocking the second zing Tooth Rat which he couldn''t y fast enough. "Rex, just shut up!" Another voice reached them from the left and Liam quickly discovered the athletic man, whose body was sheer perfectly trained for long sprints. His Soultrait was activated, allowing the young athlete to move nimbly and rapidly. Rex, the blonde-haired student, couldn''t even see the t handing as itnded on the back of his head. Liam was different because he could see the slightest motion in his peripheral vision. His expression didn''t falter when he saw how the athlete smacked Rex''s back of the head. Instead of listening to their quarrel, Liam ended the life of a few more monsters, just to notice that his weapons were slowly beginning to feel heavier and heavier. The heavy rain had already been annoying before Liam began fighting hundreds of rats but things turned even more difficult afterward. Due to the heavy rain, his entire body and weapons were soaking wet, which forced him to hold the handles of the longsword and the battle axe much tighter than he would usually to not let his hands slip. At the same time, the rain forced him to pay even more attention to his surrounding area because every step could mean he slipped down the wet mud or pools of murky rainwater. It wouldn''t be long before he would get a cramp in his hands, and his Stamina was also deteriorating rapidly. He had yet to purchase more Energizers because their effect deteriorated the more often he took them in a short period of time, but it wouldn''t be long before he would be forced to take the next batch of Energizers. "Everyone should be at the gymnasium. It''s the biggest gymnasium in the cou¡ª...." The athlete said, just for Liam to interrupt by dashing closer. An Elite Ratatuo, a rat the size of a donkey and packed with muscles all over its body shot through the thinnest gap of the small pile of rat corpses. The athlete was the closest to the Elite Ratatuo and it was about to sink its sharp teeth in his skin when Liam''s battle-axe came flying at it. Liam unsheathed the second longsword for the first time since he entered the valley and he used more Arcane Power to trigger the active effect of the Devil''s Eyes to the limit. The world around him seemed to slow down. His erratic breathing grew ragged as his eyes detected everything that happened around him. The movements of the Elite Ratatuo were unveiled to him and Liam predicted the monster''s next moves with the use of his spatial awareness, the movement of the Elite Ratatuo''s muscles, where the monster''s gaze would flick to, and most importantly, its stance. Taking the high stats of the Elite Ratatuo into consideration, Liam knew that he shouldn''t face such a monster. He was simply not strong enough to handle a monster on that level with his low stats. At least that was what he should be thinking under normal circumstances. Yet, upon seeing through the eyes that had been enhanced with his Soultrait, Liam''s confidence began to skyrocket. He had never heard of the Devil''s Eyes Soultrait and didn''t expect it to be this powerful. Liam predicted the Elite Ratatuo''s attack and he evaded it by a hair''s breadth using his wits to the extreme. His predictions could be wrong but he had to trust them entirely in order to ensure his survival. The slightest bit of distrust in his capabilities would result in his death so Liam moved rapidly. He detected the change in the Elite Ratatuo''s movement the moment he threw the battle axe toward it and reacted ordingly, evading its pounce before cutting through the thick fur of the Elite Ratatuo''s side. Afterward, he twisted his body by leaning backward until his back was on the verge of breaking. However, it was not even a millisecondter that the Elite Ratatuo''s w whooshed past his head. Liam''s ck horn missed getting hit and broken by the razor-sharp w by a hair''s breadth but he didn''t even think about the horrifying aftermath that would have followed if the w had hit him. Instead, he finished the final attack he had prepared while evading the ferocious monster''s attacks! Chapter 15 Broken ?While Liam evaded the attack of the Elite Ratatuo, his arms didn''t remain idle. He moved them rapidly and inserted a considerable amount of his remaining Arcane Power inside the two longswords'' des. A faint glow mantled the des that began to vibrate violently. The sound of something crackling reached Liam''s ears which forced him to pierce his arms upward with all his might. He maintained an iron grip on the hilts of the two longswords and thrust them through the neck of the donkey-sized Elite Ratatuo. The de cut neatly through the Ratatuo''s fur and it dug deep inside its flesh before it met some resistance due to the bones. As a result, Liam''s attack was forcefully put to a halt as the longsword''s des cracked. Liam clicked his tongue reproachfully and drove the des deeper into their opponent''s neck while gritting his teeth as his muscles swelled up. He used every ounce of strength within his body to kill the Elite Ratatuo, only to fail miserably. The Elite Ratatuo let out a horrendous shriek that made the students cower in fear. It thrashed on the slippery ground violently and threw its entire body around before mming its ws against Liam who could barely react in time. His eyes took note of everything that happened around him, which was how he deflected the attack. He blocked the w that smashed against him with the fragments of the longswords that broke when the Elite Ratatuo had moved vigorously. He realized that his strength was not enough but still didn''t let go of the steel longswords that broke into two pieces due to the sudden movements of the Elite Ratatuo when it felt the searing pain of razor-sharp des cutting into its neck. This left the handle and the lower part of the de in Liam''s hand while the tip and around 20 centimeters of the de were stuck in the monster''s neck. Liam was hurled through the schoolyard and he smashed against the small pile of dead rats. Hisnding was soft but that didn''t really help him to jump up from the ground and evade the next attack that followed up quickly. The Elite Ratatuo was controlled by its bestial instincts and filled with rage. It charged at Liam without a care for anyone else and it shed straight at him with its sharp, pointed ws. Liam''s arms hurt from blocking the attacks repeatedly, his hands cramped and his eyes began to hurt. Nheless, he shed the two longsword handles at the Elite Ratatuo, one against its w to divert the trajectory of the monster''s sh by inches and the other straight at its head, or the monster''s eyes to be precise, in order to force the Elite Ratatuo to close its eyes. His throws were urate and his attack was a sess. He moved in ordance with the changed trajectory of the sh, evading the attack with a gap of millimeters between his head and the monster''s ws as he pushed his body upward with a shocking velocity. Liam forced his hand to heed hismands as the cramping hand turned into a t knife while ws grew out of them just before they dug deep into two wounds at the Elite Ratatuo''s neck, puncturing it further. The des were still stuck in the neck but Liam couldn''t push them deeper inside. Thus, he used his ws which were further enhanced with thest bits of Arcane Power that resided in his body to w at the Elite Ratatuo''s neck and tear it to shreds. Liam dragged his ws downward through the rat''s flesh which caused a fountain of blood to gush out of the Elite Ratatuo that began to squeal and thrash in pain once again. It''s squeals were high-pitched and loud but its movements slowed down drastically inparison to before. This gave Liam the opportunity to cause more damage with his razor-sharp ws and the bits of Arcane Power that had been consumed to enhance their sharpness. ''My body is still the same as before¡­but so fucking weak¡­'' Liam thought while gritting his teeth as the remaining bits of energy were drained from him. His entire upper body hurt, and his Soultrait was deactivated due to theck of Arcane Power and crossed sub-zero. But despite all of that, he continued to viciously w at the neck of the Elite Ratatuo. The monster''s blood poured down on him like a waterfall and its movements kept slowing down. However, Liam only dared to stop his attack when two notifications popped up in front of him. [Elite Ratatuo has been yed] [+5 Arcanium] Despite seeing the Arcanium he had gained, Liam was far from happy. He was not in a condition to continue fighting and the Elite Ratatuo copsed upon him. Liam had to swiftly move to the side to avoid getting buried under its corpse. His view was blurred and his breathing ragged. Yet, Liam didn''t stop moving. He let his ws return back to their original shape of human hands and lifted them slowly as he essed the Arcane Shop. Instead of a relieved smile, a scowl appeared on his face when he could faintly make out the price of the item he was about to purchase but there was nothing he could do about it. His mission was not yet over¡­it had just begun¡­ [1x¡ºArcane Energizer(F+ Rank)¡»have been purchased. 2.5 Arcanium have been deducted!] ''Why aren''t there any shops yet¡­Can''t these Elven bastards hurry up and create some cheapass potions?!'' Liam cursed in his mind as a vial containing a green liquid materialized in his hands. Everything in the Arcane Shop was overprized but it was not as if anyone had a second choice right now. No shop had been created yet and everyone was in need of weapons and potions. In a few days the ordinary weapons and F-rank potions were bound to be much cheaper since the demand for these goods would decrease the stronger they would be, but that didn''t make Liam feel better. His fingers trembled while removing the cap of the Arcane Energizer before he swallowed the bitter content in its entirety. Liam knew that the Arcane Energizer was notparable to powerful potions but it would replenish some of his Arcane Power and Stamina. That was better than nothing. His vision improved a little and he stumbled over to the battle axe which he found lying around not too far away from him. Just when he was about to pick up the battle axe from the ground, Liam heard a familiar voice that inched closer. "Oh my¡­thank you so much for rescuing me!!" Lifting his head after he grasped the battle-axe, Liam stared into the eyes of the athlete with a cold re. "Stop spouting nonsense and pay attention to your surroundings¡­there won''t be a next time!" Chapter 16 Liam, The Nanny ?Liam was angry with the athlete, who had introduced himself as Kian Meran because he didn''t pay enough attention to the surroundings while fighting someone. He knew that the students were new to the sudden changes in the world that was now ruled by the strong, a ce where the weak would be devoured the moment they showed a sign of weakness, but that didn''t mean Liam couldn''t get angry at them for acting like braindead idiots. His longswords had broken, his arms were swollen and felt as if his muscles were reced with blocks of cold, hard iron and he could barely refill bits of his drained stamina and Arcane Power by paying half of the 5 Arcanium he had obtained for killing the Elite Ratatuo. The only weapons he was left with were his hands and the battle-axe, which was not enough to fight dozens of huge rats at the same time, not if he wanted to avoid sustaining more injuries. ''I should avoid those Elite Ratatuo for the time being.'' Liam understood his condition and situation pretty well. His stats didn''t even allow him to exhibit enough strength to neatly pierce the neck of the Elite Ratatuo, not even after the steel longswords had been enhanced with Arcane Power. Steel weapons were nothing special. The steel was made out of ordinary iron that didn''t even possess proper Arcane Power conductivity. That was also one of the reasons why the de chipped when Liam forcefully inserted Arcane Power inside them to enhance their sharpness. For a while, he reconsidered buying a new weapon with the small fortune of Arcanium he had amassed fighting the rats but Liam decided against it when he realized that a good weapon would bring him no benefits if his stats and movements were restricted due to his weak body. The only advantage he possessed was that his Arcane Power was very potent and that he possessed more Arcane Power than ordinary humans. He was half devil and his father''s son, after all! This could be exploited as long as his remaining stats would increase only a little. While Liam was deep in thought, screams of terror reached his ears. "Helpp!!!" "Noooo!!! I don''t want to die!!!" "I am too young to die!!!" He regained his senses and turned around, just to see the miserable condition and non-existent formation of students, all of whom were scattered through the schoolyard. ''Why do I feel like a Nanny?'' Liam couldn''t help but think of himself as a warden while watching the kindergarten ys that were unveiled in front of him. Shaking his head, he started to act again. However, this time, he didn''t even think of overdoing it. His body was screaming at him, demanding him to rest and let everyone die but his efforts would be in vain if he gave up now. Liam didn''t want his effort to be wasted, so he chose to ignore his exhaustion and cut through the necks of the ordinary huge rats with the razor-sharp battle axe. It didn''t require much force to kill them but Liam did only the bare minimum to help the students around him while slowly gathering them. "Rex, gather all students and show me the way to the gym," Liam ordered before his gaze flicked to Kian who had turned quiet after being scolded by Liam, "And you¡­rush over to the gym and take a look inside. Come back afterward and report to me, no matter what others may tell you to do!" Liam gave Kian a pointed look before he sighed inwardly as he saw the fear in the athlete''s eyes. "Use your Soultrait if necessary. You should be faster while sprinting at your full speed. If you encounter some monsters you can enter the school building and outwit the monsters. You should know this ce better than some monsters that follow their instincts, don''t you think so?" He encouraged Kian who nodded his head before he disappeared by turning into a sh that headed north. ''Agility at D-rank in addition to a Soultrait that increases agility passively and actively¡­I can make use of that¡­'' Liam kept staring at the retreating figure of the young athlete for a few seconds before his attention switched over to Rex. Rex was also one of the few humans who could be made use of properly, and then there was a young female student who fought fiercely with the steel spear. Herbat technique was on apletely different level than the other students, let alone the teacher who failed miserably in his job. Liam didn''t really feel like ying the Nanny anymore but he knew that it was necessary, whether it was for his mission or to make sure that he would survive and be able to hunt efficiently as well. Completing the customized mission shouldn''t be a problem as long as the few useful humans were nourished and had a little fighting spirit. There were a handful of those useful humans, which gave Liam a little hope for their survival. The number of rats that attacked their group after they had huddled together decreased drastically, but there were now rats emerging out of every nook and cranny. There was probably not a single ce that was devoid of a rat as the ugly beasts kept infiltrating the school, much like the steady downpour. By now, the screams of terror had been swallowed, which was a bad sign. The screams had distracted many rats that were now searching for new targets and Liam in addition to the deadweight around him could be considered a delicious, tender snack. "The gym is not far away¡­ as long as we hurry we¨C..." Rex said just to shut his mouth when he saw a group of tens of huge rats forming in front of them. The rats were in their way and they had to make a detour or barge through them to reach the gym. At this moment, Kian returned, waving his arms with a bright smile on his face. He gave them a thumbs up from over a hundred-meter distance, which could only be seen by Liam as the heavy rain restricted the view of many. "Looks like we have to charge through. The gym seems to be safe, considering that your friend, the clown, is attracting so much attention on the other side of this small group of rats," Liam informed the others who exchanged nervous looks. Everyone was exhausted by now, some even mentally unstable and unable toe up with a rational thought in their mind. However, Liam ignored this as he charged forward, ignoring the mounting exhaustion that threatened to take him down faster than the rats could. He could rest when he was dead! ** If you want to support me use your golden tickets and powerstones. You can also visit my pa treon: Pa treon/HideousGrain More character images and nice chats about the HideVerse: https://discord.gg/EdsDgFVWwZ Link also in my description. Do you like it? Leave a review and add it to the library! Chapter 17 Humongous ?"Is everyone alright?" Liam asked in a voice that was loud enough for everyone around him to hear after he ended the life of thest ordinary huge rat. He turned around and saw the pale faces of the dead-tired students before he turned back without bothering about their exhaustion. "Buy an Energizer if you guys cannot move. I will leave you guys behind if you won''t keep up!" Liam knew that a bunch of students was struggling to cope with the reality and that they would copse the moment they stopped. Threatening to leave them behind was his means to force them to go ahead. It was cruel but so was life. Without his threats, they might actually give up on themselves and hope that someone else would rescue them. That hope was crushed by Liam''s words which made them ess the Arcane Shop instinctively and quickly buy one or two Energizers. They downed the bitter liquid and followed behind Liam while trying to ignore the bloody wounds all over their body. Only a few students hadn''t sustained any injuries yet, including Rex, Kian, and the female student who was good at wielding the spear. Her name was Olivia Jellin ording to Rex''s intel and she was the heir of some wealthy businessman. Liam didn''t really care about thetter information. He was more intrigued about her Soultrait because it seemed to allow her toprehend the intent of weapons much faster than anyone else. But instead of bothering her, Liam chose to ignore Olivia. It would be a hassle to turn someone like a prestigious heir of a wealthy family into one of his pawns, even if it would only be temporarily. She would help him solve the mission even if he were to ignore her. Olivia had to fight for her survival, after all! Kian joined their group after the fight was over and they kept advancing to the humongous gymnasium for the next ten minutes. Their group was forced to fight two more groups of rats but they didn''t pose much of a problem since everyone was getting more ustomed to killing. The fighting pattern of the rats was imprinted in Liam''s mind and he could easily kill the ordinary huge rats as long as there weren''t too many charging at him at the same time. He was bone-tired and his entire upper body ached but that was something he learned to ignore. "That is the gymnasium? Pretty big, that''s for sure," Liam mumbled mostly to himself when they arrived at the open za in front of the gymnasium that looked more like a modern Colosseum than anything else. Liam had not paid visits to a lot of Colosseums before but the huge wall erected around the main entrance made him feel like they were about to enter a Colosseum. It was a weird assessment but didn''t seem to be wrong. Therge arch of the main entrance spanned close to a dozen meters while the width of the gymnasium was several hundred meters. It was just as long and over 50 meters in height. Calling it huge was a gross understatement. "It''s the biggest in the country and used by most Universities within Starim¡­but shouldn''t you know that if¡­wait, you are not from here, are you?" Rex exined the same fact Kian had wanted to say earlier, just to hit the bullseye with his realization. Liam''s expression didn''t change in the slightest at Rex''s question when Kian decided to jump in their conversation. "We are quite lucky that you were in the forest. Are you a biology major, or do you like the nature of the J Valley? The weather forecast said that it would be sunny today, so many people were probably out wandering through the forest when shit happened¡­these poor people¡­I pray for their survival!" Kian said with a sad expression on his face. His entire body was currently drenched in water and he was shivering a bit. However, they were lucky to have Liam by their side. Their mysterious savior might be a little bit of an oddball, and he was very harsh, but it was quite obvious that he meant well when ordering them around. If not for him, they would have turned into the rats'' lunch long ago. "I am not sure if my answer will satisfy you but I watched the J Valley from the cliff south from here. But don''t you think it is more important to ughter a few more rats to help those people over there?" Liam asked, pointing toward the main entrance of the gym where close to a hundred rats, including more than a dozen zing Tooth Rats were fighting against arge group of desperate humans who were wielding all kinds of objects as a recement for weapons. He didn''t even think of lying because he knew from experience that big lies would inevitably end up creating more problems than leaving out the most important parts of the truth. Speaking the truth but leaving out some information made things much easier, especially at this very moment. It was easy to remember than keeping a track of lies as well. Rex and the others couldn''t clearly see through the heavy rain but they heard the screams and battle noisesing from the main entrance of the gym. It caused their body to tense up once again moments after they had calmed a little at the sight of the towering gym. They were not yet in safe grounds, which the teacher and the students realized once again. Nobody asked Liam where exactly he came from again as he took a deep breath. His left hand turned into a w while his right hand tightly grasped the battle axe. [1x¡ºArcane Energizer(F+ Rank)¡»+ 1x ¡ºPainkiller(F- Rank)¡»have been purchased. 3 Arcanium have been deducted!] He swallowed the pill that materialized in his hand immediately and downed the Arcane Energizer as well. A momentter, he dashed toward the main entrance hall of the gymnasium to join the humans in their battle against the rats. His focus was on the dozen zing Tooth Rats. The students blindly followed him without actually realizing what they were doing. Only when it was already toote did they understand that they had to fight an even bigger group of rats now that they were so close to their goal. They were afraid but still fought with all their might, showing only little hesitation as they thrust the steel spear toward their opponents. Meanwhile, Liam turned into a ughterer as his w pierced through the fur and flesh of their opponents. His identity might be exposed now that he had changed the shape of his hand but he could just say that it was his Soultrait, in the worst case. As long as he said his eyes, the ck horn and the ability to change the shape of his hands were his Soultrait, nobody would doubt his origin or question his identity. However, even if the others wouldn''t believe him, it was not as if he had to bother about that. As long as his mission was a great sess, everything was fine! Chapter 18 Gymnasium ?Though it was a bit of a risk to expose the ws that erged the fingers of his left hand by close to ten centimeters, Liam could simply say that his ws, horn, and eyes were part of his Soultrait. Nobody would be able to tell for sure whether he was lying or not, even less if he were to give others permission to see his status panel. Liam didn''t n to show his status panel to anyone but there was not exactly much for him to hide, except the ''Halfling'' part which could be considered a bit of a hassle to exin. However, worrying about getting exposed was not exactly his biggest concern right now. He charged at the group of a dozen zing Tooth Rats and pierced his ws through the eyes of one of them. The group of a hundred ordinary huge rats and dozen zing Tooth Rats were too focused on the ill-armed students, teachers, professors, and athletes that were using all means to survive. That allowed Liam to sneak up and reach the center of the enemy''s group where he wreaked havoc by moving nimbly with his weak and exhausted body. [zing Tooth Rat has been yed] [+0.5 Arcanium] [+0.5 Arcanium] [+0.5 Arcanium] Using the opportunity, three zing Tooth Rats turned into lifeless bodies before they could react properly. Liam was not yet done wreaking havoc but he took a moment to take a deep breath before resuming his killing spree. "Use your spare Arcanium to buy proper weapons!" He shouted loudly. His voice traveled to the dozens of people who were fighting with all kinds of objects, except proper weapons. The only somewhat useful weapons were the javelins that were usually used by the spear throwers in the gymnasium. However, they broke easily, leaving the athletes without any other weapon to protect themselves. This forced the athletes to retreat and rely on other people to defeat the rats. "Don''t act like braindead idiots and buy some weapons!" Liam thundered imposingly while his eyes stared mercilessly at the useless people who were quivering in fear and retreating. The people stopped in their tracks, but none of them followed Liam''smands. "Useless trash," He muttered quietly before using traces of the Arcane Power his body had replenished to use his Soultrait. The Devil''s eyes were activated and the sealed gxy in his eyes sprang to life as they began glowing in an iridescent hue. The already frightened unarmed humans stared nkly at Liam who turned back to the monsters whom he ughtered mercilessly. He didn''t move much anymore but that was not necessary to kill his opponents. His ws were razor-sharp and strong enough to pierce through the fur and flesh. This made it easier to inflict small yet severe wounds upon the rats whenever he evaded their attacks with small and agile movements. He was trying to avoid wasting his already scarce stamina and moved around only in a radius of five meters where the bodies of the dozen zing Tooth Rats ended up lying lifelessly. A few ordinary huge rats apanied the zing Tooth Rats but they were not noteworthy to someone like Liam. Less than two minutes passed before the fight with the group of rats ended. None of the students who were equipped with his steel spears turned into a lifeless body, which was a great sess. However, Liam was more focused on the wounds scattered all over their bodies. "Everyone who was bitten by the rats, buy a lesser detoxification pill if you feel unwell," He suggested before approaching the main entrance of the gymnasium. He didn''t bother paying attention to the people who hadn''t even mustered the courage to buy a weapon from the Arcane Shop. They were still nkly staring at him, unmoving as if they had been petrified by a Basilisk. Only when Liam walked past them did they dare to breathe again. Their hearts were beating rapidly and they turned around in terror, just to realize that a bunch of 30 or so students and their teacher were quickly rushing behind the masked man. The students didn''t even bother to tend to their wounds as they ran behind Liam. Their need to stay around their savior and protector overwhelmed their earlier anxiety and they kept close to Liam, following him wherever he went. It was almost as if Liam was the goldenpass that would lead them through any perilous situation. He was their beacon of hope and the students didn''t want to lose him at any cost. Upon stepping Inside the entrance area of the gymnasium, Liam quickly noticed a few things. "Five floors with the first two floors being open fields? Alright then¡­" Liam mumbled mostly to himself as he read the signboard of the gymnasium. There were running tracks, a bunch of rugby fields, and many other stations for all kinds of sports spread all over the five floors. There was even an underground floor where several swimming pools had been built. Liam was not sure what he should think about that but he was pretty certain that the gymnasium was a great ce for athletes and sportsmen to y and hone their skills. That was great before the Arcane Apocalypse and it was even helpful now that the Arcane Apocalypse had started. After all, the entire gymnasium could turn into a fortress as long as the main and side entrances would be well-secured. But even if the main and side entrances of the gymnasium were to take a hit, it was not as if monsters could flood the inner halls of the gymnasiums easily. The gymnasium had twoyers, the outeryer was where the elevators, changing rooms, showers, infirmary, and the resting ces were located. It surrounded the inneryer of the gymnasium where all kinds of ''stations'' for the different types of sport were located. ''Even if not all ces are protected well, there are only six entrances to the inner rings of each floor. One at each corner, and directly next to the elevators¡­it''s like having two defensive lines¡­'' Liam realized, nodding his head in satisfaction. "A natural fortress¡­let''s see what we can do with that!" Chapter 19 Liam And His Ducklings ?He was quite surprised by the structure of the gymnasium since it felt uncannily simr to the Colosseums he had been to in the past. The inneryer of the gymnasium had to be reced with the arena and the outeryer would have to be altered a little bit¡­but other than that it looked like a near-identical replica. It could be turned into a hideout until the rain stopped and it shouldn''t be too hard to turn the gym into an actual fortress as long as nobody allowed monsters to raid it first. Liam entered the sports hall on the first floor, where he was greeted by several rugby fields, some basketball rings, and various other fields. However, all of that turned insignificant since his gaze focused on the desperate humans, who were lying on the fields. Some were covered with nkets, unmoving, while others were trying to tend to their wounds with trembling hands. The majority of survivors were in a state of shock. Their brains seemed to have lost the ability to function as they were unable to get over the fact that their lives had been turned upside down. Even if some of them had yet to face monsters than the dog and sheep-sized rats, it was quite obvious that life wouldn''t be the same as before. A few people were walking around the inner hall, wielding ordinary steel weapons and it didn''t take long for Liam and his group to be noticed. They were drenched in water that had intermixed with the blood of the monsters they had killed as it trickled down their clothes, sttering on the floor. It was rather difficult not to take note of them. Liam and the unwanted followers who walked behind him like ducklings attracted more than enough attention, especially since they were one of the few groups who were soaked wet. Soon enough, a young man who was clearly an athlete approached them with a faint smile on his lips. He wielded a longsword whose de rested against his shoulders as he approached them calmly. The young man was just about to say something when Liam lifted his hand. "If you guys have weapons, why didn''t you help the people outside? Are you guys even thinking of blocking the gym''s entrances with monster corpses or other means, or are you guys too afraid to leave?" Liam asked coldly, without an ounce of mercy in his voice. He knew that nobody was obliged to help others and he wouldn''t do it either if not for his customized mission¡­but that didn''t mean he couldn''t provoke others by indirectly calling them immoral and cowardly. After all, a brutal confrontation was probably one of the easiest ways for him to find out more about their personality and attitude! Liam took note of the changes in the young man''s expression, not missing on noticing the noise of the footsteps of close to a hundred people who entered the inner hall of the gymnasium from behind them. "He is over there!" A young woman shouted out loudly, attracting lots of attention as hundreds of pairs of eyes darted over to the neer that rushed over to Liam and his ducklings. Close to a hundred emerged from Liam''s left and right. They looked at him with various emotions gleaming in their eyes and nobody uttered a word for a few seconds. The people just stared at him without saying a word. Their eyes sized him up from head to toe which took in a wless sculptured figure of a human being with steel-like muscles that were visible through the transparency of his white shirt, which was drenched in rainwater and blood. His mask was a huge contrast to the pale white body, but the same could be said about his ck hair and therge purple eyes that could be seen through the hollow eyesockets of the devil mask. The mask''s horn almost looked like it was alive but that was not something the people thought much about. "H-How¡­How can we thank you for rescuing us?..." A woman asked hesitantly after she realized that a mere thank you wouldn''t be enough to appease the cold-looking, mysterious savior. Liam looked at the short woman who was two heads shorter than him. She had short brown hair and looked rather in. However, she had found the courage to speak up to him, which was not even something most of the ducklings behind him dared. At that moment, Olivia Jellin from behind stepped forward as well. Liam turned around when he noticed her movements, just to see her pointing at the spear. "I want to repay my debt as well¡­what do you need?" She asked straightforwardly with a slightly ufortable expression on her face. This difort didn''t stem from the fact that she was subjected to weird stares by her ssmates but more from the fact that someone had to rescue her, hand her a spear and force her to adjust to the new and unexpected situation. Without Liam, she would be dead for sure. That debt was not something Olivia wanted to carry on forever. ''I am already getting paid for saving you idiots¡­but you can always get more, don''t you think?'' Liam wondered as he realized that many had identical looks of reverence and gratitude, simr to the woman who had spoken up first and Olivia. Only now did the people Liam had indirectly saved by killing the dozen zing Tooth Rats and some more ordinary huge rats realized that their savior had rescued the students as well. He even provided them with weapons to make sure that they could fend for themselves. That was the work of a true Hero, not just a good person! His actions made all of them feel certain that Liam was a good person. Little did they know that their misconception would be crushed the moment Liam opened his mouth. "Pay me with Arcanium then!" Chapter 20 Wealthy Man ?"Pay me with Arcanium then!" He said with a shrug, ignoring the gazes that were drawn to him. Liam wanted to turn around to the other young man whose expression turned sour because he couldn''t even react to the fact that Liam had indirectly called him out for being a spineless coward. However, he was interrupted by the murmurs that resounded from all around him. The people he saved, including some students, were a bit baffled by Liam''s straightforward demand. "Isn''t it obvious for someone as strong as you to help us? Stronger people should help the weak and helpless!" A man in histe 50s grumbled all of a sudden. He too was drenched in water and he looked miserable, but Liam couldn''t care less about the man''s pitiful appearance. "If you don''t want to pay me, you might as well keep your mouth shut! Don''t bother putting up with the act of having gratitude ande over to thank me for rescuing you when you cannot ept that your ''gratefulness'' is worthless to me. Your gratefulness cannot help me kill monsters, but Arcanium can!" He said sharply, his purple eyes staring at the man for a moment before he turned his head away in disgust. The man who was in his 50s was just about to say something when Olivia opened her mouth. "How much do you want, and how can I transfer Arcanium to you?" She asked without giving it a second thought. Olivia could tell how valuable Arcanium was and it was certainly the best way to repay her debt to her savior with something that would help him be stronger than offering empty words! "I don''t care how much you give me. You know how difficult it was to kill the rats and how much Arcanium you gained for each kill. Arcanium can be used for everything, so I will let you be the judge to figure out how much you want to give me, and how much you want to save up for yourself," Liam stressed the importance and use of Arcanium once again rather than greedily telling Olivia to give him everything she had. He had never expected Olivia to simply hand over her entire fortune, to begin with, but he wanted to make sure that she understood the value of Arcanium before doing something she would regret. "You can transfer Arcanium simply by thinking about transferring it to a specific person. My name is Liam Wandel, so think about transferring Arcanium to me and a notification will pop up in front of you to verify the transfer," He exined while simultaneously sharing his name for the first time with the others. Everyone, even those who had been angry with him for being greedy and asking for Arcanium if they were truly grateful for him rescuing them, listened to his words intently. They learned a lot from Liam and subconsciously nodded their head in understanding. [Olivia Jellin(Circleless) transferred 26.7 Arcanium to Liam Wandel(Circleless)] [Transactionpleted. 26.7 Arcanium has been added to the Bnce!] "That-..." Liam blurted out, unable to hide his astonishment as Olivia interrupted him before he could say anything else, "That''s all I have for now. You will get more once I have more!" Liam was mostly astonished that Olivia had already amassed 26.7 Arcanium, to begin with. Everyone started with 10 Arcanium, which meant that Olivia must have umted at least 16.7 Arcanium by herself. That was pretty impressive and a lot more than he expected from someone whom he had presumed to have been raised in a very sheltered environment. "My life is worth much more, so don''t even think of rejecting my Arcanium!" Olivia pressed on when Liam opened his mouth to say something. "I didn''t n on rejecting your money, don''t worry. I just wanted to tell you that you did a good job collecting so much Arcanium in such a short time." He responded quite calmly before he noted that more people began to transfer some Arcanium to him. [Transactionpleted 0.6 Arcanium has been added to the Bnce!] [Transactionpleted 2.1 Arcanium has been added to the Bnce!] [Transactionpleted 1.3 Arcanium has been added to the Bnce!] [Transactionpleted 0.1 Arcanium has been added to the Bnce!] [Transactionpleted 9.4 Arcanium has been added to the Bnce!] [...] [...] [...] Liam received dozens of notifications that rang through his head like the crowing of a rooster in the morning¡­if the rooster were to be IN your head¡­ This astonished him quite a bit since he didn''t expect to receive much from the people around him. That was also why he was dumbfounded to see the transactions ended up increasing his Arcanium by 56.9! [Arcanium: 121.4] "...Damn¡­" Liam blurted out when he took a nce at his total Arcanium. It was very pleasing to the eye. For a moment, he reconsidered increasing all Stats that were still stuck in [G] to [F], but he also knew that it would cost too much Arcanium. His gains would disappear in the blink of an eye, the moment he increased some of his stats by one or two sub-ranks, especially if he would jump a whole rank from [G+] to [F-]! An alternative to this was attempting to raise his stats by training hard, or by consuming special items that were far more cost-efficient than inly increasing his stats with Arcanium. ''Fighting until I am on the verge of copsing should be enough to increase my stats up to F+...but how long do I have to fight¡­?'' Liam began to wonder. He was trying to figure out if he should just purchase a weapon with his Arcanium, or if other equipment and goods that increased his stats permanently upon consumption would be better in the current situation. After all, his customized mission had yet to end and it was quite obvious that the situation might suddenly change since the entrances of the gymnasium''s outeryer had yet to be sealed off. While he was deep in thought the young man whom Liam had offended by openly calling him immoral had had enough of the intruder. He ignored the people around Liam, pushed them aside, and stepped closer to him. His hand was still tightly coiled around the longsword which he had purchased in the Arcane Shop after realizing the seriousness of the situation, and he pointed the tip of the de toward Liam. The gap between Liam and the de was less than 30 centimeters when the young man finally halted in his tracks. "Who the hell do you think you are?" The young man asked sharply as he thrust the tip of his longsword forward so as to intimidate Liam by nearly cutting his neck. And in response, Liam''s eyes turned ice-cold. He pushed the battle-axe upward with ease, forcefully changed the path of the sword thrust and inched closer to the young man, whose eyes widened as he felt Liam''s fingers grasping him by the throat. "If you continue to act like this, I will be your death, kid!" ** If you want to support me use your golden tickets and powerstones. You can also visit my pa treon: Pa treon/HideousGrain More character images and nice chats about the HideVerse: https://discord.gg/EdsDgFVWwZ Link also in my description. Do you like it? Leave a review and add it to the library! Chapter 21 Im Stronger ?Liam''s left hand was not in the w form anymore. That was the young man''s fortune or else he would be lying on the ground, drenched in his own puddle of blood. A faint smile could be seen on Liam''s face as he looked at the quivering eyes of the young man who couldn''t say a word even though his mouth opened and closed repetitively. "I don''t think you should act like a bigshot if you cannot even protect yourself properly," He gave him a word of advice as he loosened his grasp around the young man''s neck. He pushed him lightly which resulted in the man stumbling backward before he tripped and slumped to the ground loudly. "Don''t provoke others if you cannot estimate their strength properly!" Liam added before he turned around to the others. "Is everyone''s Soultrait activated? If not¡­just increase your stats for the time being, and don''t y around like this prime example of a donkey brain, otherwise, you will only gift yourself a quicker death!" In order toplete his mission with the best possible result, Liam chose to teach those who were worthy of being taught. His exnations and tips were worth much more than a few Arcanium and everyone listened, no matter if they liked Liam as a person, or if they loathed him for his personality. He didn''t really care whether he was loved or hated since love and hatred were two sides of the same coin, either way. While he handed out a few exnations, a few fellow athletes stepped up to their colleagues. They helped him up from the ground and stared threateningly at Liam, or they were trying to re at him threateningly. It didn''t really make Liam cower in fear since he had a tiny little bit more experience on the battlefield. Inparison to the rookies who picked up a weapon for the first time in their lives, Liam could basically be considered a Warlord! That was also why Liam didn''t think highly about the bunch of athletes whose clothes were still unstained and dry. They may hold a weapon but they didn''t even know how to wield it properly, and they had yet to kill a monster using their perfectly new, shiny weapons! Liam''s expression only changed a little when someone wearing a uniform approached the athletes. The young athlete whom Liam had taught a lesson rushed over to the man whose uniform was simr to the uniform humans in the Overworld wore when they practiced martial arts in a dojo. "Felix, please help me¡­He nearly killed me!!" The young athlete shouted out loud, his voice sounding like the bleating of a sheep that was on the brink of death. Liam had more respect for a desperate animal that was trying its utmost to survive until thest breath left its body rather than the young athlete who looked more pitiful and disgusting than the other people whose bodies froze when facing fierce monsters. "Is that true?" The man wearing a martial arts uniform asked, his voice and expression showing no sign of malice let alone anger. A few people began to speak up for Liam since they had witnessed what actually happened in detail, making the martial artist keep looking at Liam curiously. "I could have killed him if I wanted to, but as you can see, I didn''t," Liam responded which caused the martial artist to nod his head. "I''m Felix, Martial Arts Champion of the Chivan Gotenksu University. Do you want to help me build a small base in the gym?" Felix, the martial artist, introduced himself and asked a question. "I don''t really intend to stay inside the gymnasium for too long. Furthermore, following someone is not really something I want to do, especially since I''m stronger either way!" Liam said, hinting that he was stronger than Felix. The martial artist wanted Liam to be one of his subordinates because his presence was intense. One could tell at the first nce that Liam was not a pushover or someone to be taken lightly. Yet, even before Felix could open up the discussion to entice Liam to be his subordinate, he was rejected. Felix looked at Liam for a second or two before the corners of his lips curled upward. "You seem quite confident. Are you certain that you''re stronger than me?" He asked sharply while taking a step forward. The moment his feet touched the ground again, the pressure exuded by Felix increased drastically. "You cane at me if you want to give it a try," Liam replied in a calm andposed manner as he watched the changes in Felix''s movements. Currents of blue light burst forth from the martial artist as he changed his stance, the currents further intensifying the pressure around Felix. Felix''s strength underwent a sudden change as he turned into a blue sh that shot forward at once. The artificial grass of the rugby field around Felix''s feet burst as green bits were tossed around. Liam didn''t move an inch at first. He simply kept looking ahead, his eyes following the movements of the blue sh easily. His pupils seemed to erge and the sealed gxies within his eyes were clearly visible through the hollow socket of the ck devil mask as Liam triggered his Soultrait for a short moment. He twisted his upper body, making it seem as if he wanted to move backward, and evade the iing attack with slow and subtle motions just to change his tactic the moment Felix closed in. When Felix was only three meters away from him, Liam kicked out all of a sudden. His leg jerked upward, aiming at Felix''s chin with tremendous force. The martial artist couldn''t react fast enough to the sudden kick that took him by surprise as he was fully focused on reaching Liam''s upper body. He failed to deflect the attack as quickly as possible and was flung around like a newborn calf. While Felix had focused on Liam''s upper body that''d moved backward, a tremendous force impacted on his chin. His head snapped up even before Felix understood what had happened and something cold was pressed against his neck not even a quarter of a secondter. "Inner Strength¡­not a bad Soultrait, that''s for sure. You just need a little bit more training and you might be able to wield it properly!" Liam muttered his observation next to Felix. The young martial artist didn''t even dare to move his head as the cold steel was still tightly pressed against his neck. His hair stood up on its end and the fear of death crawled up his spine as he realized that Liam didn''t retract his weapon. Instead, Liam waited for a few seconds to analyze the Inner Strength of the young martial artist. ''A Soultrait that allows him to break his limits by unleashing his Inner Strength¡­to think that I would meet so many interesting people so soon¡­ Now it makes sense why the rewards of the customized mission are so high¡­there are potential threats to the Nine Realms in here, and the Arcane System wants me to reassure their survival!!'' Liam figured out what the Arcane System intended to do and he was more than fine with that. Felix could be someone extremely powerful provided he learned how to use his power and strength properly. It hadn''t even been half a day since the Arcane Apocalypse started. Of course, it was not possible for someone to be able to use their Soultrait as proficiently as Liam! Felix couldn''t control the sudden surge of power that erupted within him upon triggering his Soultrait. It prevented him from using hisbat knowledge properly and forced him to attack with brute force without a strategy. He couldn''t even evade attacks properly as of now, which led to his inevitable loss. "As I said before, I''m stronger!" Chapter 22 Suspicion ?The battle between Liam and Felix, if one could call it that, to begin with, ended in an instant. Felix had run straight toward Liam, whose upper body had leaned back just for his leg to flick up the moment Felix was about to reach for Liam''s shoulders. The moment Felix''s head was pushed upward, Liam jerked forward to press the battle-axe''s de against his neck. Everyone stared nkly at the twobatants. There was almost nobody in the city who didn''t know Felix or was oblivious to his strength. Thus, it was an even bigger surprise to see how easily he had been defeated, especially after Felix''s speed had increased so suddenly. "I hope that you can create a strong defense in the gym. Did you consider turning it into a fortress?" Liam asked nonchntly as he reached forward with his free hand. He retracted the battle axe and acted as if the fight between them had never happened. "Huh? What?" Felix responded barely. His mind was still shut off after realization struck him. He had been defeated in the blink of an eye, seemingly effortlessly! Liam looked at Felix and reconsidered something for a moment before he sighed deeply. ''Should I rest for a bit, or go out and pull more Natives into the gymnasium?...Will the system count them as the people I saved here, to begin with? Probably not¡­I didn''t really do much to save the Natives who were already inside, to begin with. If all those I saved personally are added by the system, I should have saved enough to finish the mission¡­but they might not survive until the rain stops. It might continue to rain for a few days, after all¡­so securing the gym is the most important¡­I guess?'' Liam''s mind was rattling. He wanted to receive the additional rewards of his customized mission. To achieve that he had to protect as many Natives as possible. "If you want to be stronger you should think about turning the gymnasium into your first hideout, or even a fortress. I will seal the entrances to make sure nobody will be able to enter the gymnasium unnoticed. Will you help, or are you ying to stay here like these hoodlums?" Liam asked, changing his question a little as he pointed at the idiotic young athlete who had pointed his sword at him before. The young athlete was just about to grumble or snap at him when he began to shudder. He recalled how Liam had defeated him and Felix without breaking a sweat. It was obvious that Liam was different from them¡­he was dangerous, far more dangerous than they assumed him to be! Felix got up from the ground, his eyes warily staring at Liam. He couldn''t help but feel overwhelmed since he had never expected someone to be able to defeat him after his powerful Soultrait had awoken. For a while, he had also daydreamt of bing one of the superhuman existences that were only known in movies, and webnovels. Liam had barely attacked him but his simple move had jolted Felix back to reality, whether he liked it or not. "I wille with you¡­" He mumbled while trying to force a smile on his face. Liam nodded in response before he averted his attention to the surrounding area. "How many people listen to you?" Liam asked when he saw the rugby goalposts of the three rugby fields. Many people were spread all over the football fields but none of them seemed capable enough to start fighting with their lives on the line. At most, the athletes and a few loners could fit his requirement. "How many do you need?" Felix countered the question with another one. "Enough to disassemble the rugby goalpost, carry them to the entrances in the outeryer, and block them off. I would also need a bunch of people who''re willing to actually fight. Using monster corpses to block the main entrances will be quite helpful as well. Everyone needs to learn how to fight in order to survive in the Arcane Apocalypse sooner orter, either way!" Liam answered before he thought of something else as well. "If you know where other furniture or sport equipment can be found, it would be good to use that as well to seal the entrances. As long as the doors are closed and several meters of a blockade erected, monsters would have a hard time paving their way through everything. Not even Elite Ratatuo are intelligent enough to force their way to the inner ring of the gymnasium if we put up a lot of difficult obstacles." Once Liam finished speaking, he noticed that he was looked at weirdly. This was not actually something new for him so he didn''t bother about the gazes and turned around when he heard Kian''s voice from behind. "How do you know that not even the Elite Ratatuo are intelligent enough to think about creating a pathway through the blockade you''ve been talking about? Did you analyze the intelligence of the rats that quickly?" Kian''s voice was filled with surprise. He didn''t seem suspicious of Liam but rather baffled to think how someone as intelligent as Liam could end up by their side. It was as if their guardian angel had descended in the form of their mysterious savior, Liam. That was, at least, how Kian felt at this very moment. However, Liam also noticed that many grew suspicious of him after hearing him. Nobody really knew him and it was not as if his mask made him look like a friendly and trustworthy person. The only reason why nobody chose to confront him was that Liam was evidently trying to help them. One had to be blind, deaf, and stupid not to understand that Liam''s words and actions were a clear indicator of what he wanted to achieve-safeguarding them, though nobody understood why he was going to such lengths to save them. "The ordinary huge rats are merely normal rats, the zing Tooth Rats feel like mutations of ordinary rats while the Elite Ratatuo is more like advanced evolutions. When I fought it, I could clearly tell that it wasn''t adept at using special tactics to fight, but that it relied on it''s bestial instincts to fight," Liam exined nheless. He didn''t know how long it would rain, which meant that he could hardly allow anyone to push him away even if that would make things a lot easier. His exnation wasn''t anything special but it was enough to disperse the suspicion of most people. Felix didn''t think much about it and nodded his head before he looked at the condition of Liam and the students behind him. "You and your people should rest for a bit while I will gather everyone who is willing to have a rendezvous with some rats in the rain!" Chapter 23 Disgusting ?Liam didn''t even think of taking a break but he told the others to rest for the time being. They didn''t know when the rats would infiltrate the gymnasium if they hadn''t started doing that already by now. Liam walked through the inneryer of the gymnasium to take a good look at the condition of the natives and the infrastructure of the building. "The entrances in the inneryer are guarded but none of these people are proficient in fighting¡­only Felix and his fellow martial artists¡­" He figured quickly before leaving through one of the entrances. Securing the outeryer of the gymnasium was far more important since a bunch of rats might have already found their way to it and could be hiding in the hallway that surrounded the inneryer. It was like a huge running track surrounded the hall in the inneryer. Monsters could be anywhere by now, which was why Liam hoped that Felix and his people wouldn''t waste too much time. "Where are we going?" A sudden voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Liam turned around to see Kian, Rex, Olivia, and a few more students wielding spears and following him. "Weren''t you guys supposed to take a break?" He responded with another question, squinting his eyes. Liam didn''t even bother registering the faces of the few students who had chosen to follow him. "You were told to take a break as well¡­" Olivia retorted, which caused Liam to close his mouth for a few seconds. He merely nodded his head. "I''m just taking a look at the current situation. If the outeryer of the gymnasium is flooded by monsters their extermination will be our highest priority, rather than sealing off the entrances. Well, to be fair, we would have to fight monsters while others would have to seal the entrances," Liam knew it was pointless trying to convince the students to return and rest. It was their decision to follow him right now and it was not as if he had anything against their help either. They would save him lots of trouble when they would encounter a bunch of monsters. And hopefully, nothing too bad would happen to them since they were inside an enclosed space and Liam was by their side as well. Everyone was tired but it was not as if Liam could not afford to think about rxing. His mind was flooding him with tasks he had to aplish before he was allowed to sit down and eat or drink something, let alone take a nap! They walked down through the outeryer of the gymnasium for quite a while withouting across an infiltration of any monster. Liam took this as a great sign, and their hopes soared high but it was only a whileter that a muffled scream reached their group. "Helpp!!!" someone screamed, the desperation in the voice clear to everyone. Liam and the others rushed through the hallway without giving it another thought as the desperate screams got clearer, yet also quieter "Someone¡­PLEASE!!!" Kian rushed forward all of a sudden after triggering his Soultrait, just to stop all of a sudden when he saw something from the corner of his eyes. The door to one of the coaches'' rooms hadn''t been closed properly and Kian saw something that caused his expression to change drastically. He walked back and pushed the door open and it was just a momentter when Liam and the others reached one of the coach''s offices as well. "Nobody will help you¡­the world is nearing its end, so stop screaming and have some fun with us!" A man''s voice could be heard through the gap before the situation inside the office was unveiled to everyone. A young woman, presumably an athlete ording to the clothes she wore, was pinned down on the office table, while a chubby man in histe 40s was leaning all over her, licking her neck. The woman was struggling hard and trying to push herself away from the man, while the other men in the room were staring at her with pure lust. "Nooo¡­" She tried to scream but her mouth was covered by the chubby man''s hand, stifling her cries for help. Liam could only shake his head dismissively at that. ''Why do I feel like humans are the same everywhere?... Maybe even Demons are better in that regard¡­no scratch that¡­'' He thought for a moment when he saw how a few men pulled down their pants, revealing the tiny worms that had been hidden away for ages. It was already a wonder that no cobwebs had formed around their crotches. When the young woman screamed, Olivia was the first to react. She was about to rush forward but Liam held her back. He grasped Olivia''s wrist and smiled faintly at her face which was filled with uncontroble anger and the urge to rescue the helpless woman. Olivia was just about to use every bit of strength in her body to free herself of Liam''s grasp when she saw the coldness in his eyes as he turned over to look at the worst kind of human being in front of him. "You don''t have to dirty your fingers with trash¡­I''ll dly do that!" He mumbled quietly before he began to move. His right hand holding the battle axe flicked forward, cutting through the air as the weapon was hurled through the length of the room, just for Liam to dash behind it a quarter of a momentter. While the guys looked over at Liam and the others in ridicule, the helpless woman, whose clothes had been torn apart couldn''t help but continue crying. Fat drops of tears trickled down her cheeks as she was trying to free herself from the iron grip that pinned her down on the table. She closed her eyes and continued to resist, just to feel something warm trickling down on her face. The iron-tight grasp around her arm loosened all of a sudden. The woman tried to free herself, only to realize that a heavy weight copsed on top of her without any warning. She opened her mouth and was just about to scream loudly when the desperate pleas of the men who had nearly vited her filled the young woman''s ears. "Please..noo¡­don''t kill us, PLEA¨C..." "Nooo!! Arghashd¡­" "You bastard, how dare you ki¨C..." "...You¡­" The screams and shouts of the desperation of the same men who were going to force themselves upon her reached the young woman''s ears. Theysted only for a few seconds before they died down forever. She was struggling to move under the weight of the man who had copsed on her and finally mustered the courage to open her eyes. However, what she saw caused a cold shudder to run down her spine. An axe was stuck in the skull of the man who had attempted to rape her first and blood was oozing out of the wound. She let out a shocked gasp as she turned her head to the left where she saw a single man standing in the midst of corpses. Blood continued to flow down from his hands like streams. Cold purple eyes entered her sight when the man turned into her direction. "Let''s leave, we''re done here," Liam said coldly as he approached the woman who was still buried under the burly man''s corpse. He retracted the battle-axe that was stuck in the skull of the man before he looked over to the young woman who was trying her best to remove the lifeless body from her. "Pick up some clothes and go to the inneryer. Tell them that I killed the people who wanted to vite you, and you should be fine," He exined shortly without giving her any introduction. "W-Who¡­Who are you?" She stammered weakly but he only shrugged and replied, "I''m¡­just a masked Devil." Chapter 24 Gains ?[The Host''s Will increased.] [+1.6 Arcanium] [+0.9 Arcanium] [+1.3 Arcanium] [+0.6 Arcanium] [+1.1 Arcanium] "Looks like I scared you guys," Liam said calmly as he wiped off the blood with one of the men''s shirts before they returned to the hallway. Olivia and a few other female students looked back into the room but they didn''t linger around the young woman who had nearly been raped for long. They had helped her move aside the lifeless body of the rapist before rushing behind Liam to make sure that they wouldn''t lose him. "But that was nothing. You guys will face much worse situations very soon. Prepare yourself for the worst!" Liam lectured, not caring that nobody showed a sign of having understood his words. The ducklings behind him were still shaken about what they had witnessed mere moments ago. They didn''t know whether it was more shocking that they had seen someone familiar attempting to rape a helpless girl, or that Liam could act nonchntly after killing five humans in a breeze. However, Liam didn''t really care about who he had to kill anymore. He didn''t even know how many humans, demons, and devils he had killed in his entire life. It had been way too many to count. Rather than bothering about something that didn''t matter either way, Liam was more focused on the increase in his Will stat and the changes it brought to his body. ''It is a little bit easier to think straight and control my entire body with much more precision. Even the Arcane Power in my body is easier to control, though it''s only a little¡­not bad!'' They didn''t possess the Arcane System in the Nine Realms since it was a creation that had been implemented solely for the Arcane Apocalypse and Haltan''s reawakening after it had been in a deep slumber for eons. Thus, Liam was bound to learn many new things even if he had been forcefully fed some information about the Arcane System. His mother and siblings had gotten their hands on ancient documents rted to the Arcane Apocalypse. It proved to be extremely helpful for Liam since he could make use of the Arcane System thanks to these bits of information. The way he had been taught the information was not very nice but the result made up for the pain, somewhat at least. While Liam was testing the changes an increase in his Will stat caused, the students behind him remained silent. They had a lot to digest and preferred to silently observe him. Once Liam was done with his tests, he took a look at the Arcanium he had obtained from the humans he killed in the blink of an eye. ''Even though they were unable to use their Soultraits let alone fight ordingly, I received 1.1 Arcanium for each of them on average? Looks like theirbat prowess was regarded twice as high as that of the zing Tooth Rats¡­good for me, I guess!'' Liam thought with a shrug. He epted the Arcanium regardless. It was not as if anyone would reject a gift, even less if it was something he was in dire need of. Some time passed before Liam and his people encountered a group of ordinary huge rats that were led by a few zing Tooth Rats. There was no Elite Ratatuo which was enough reason for Liam to rush forward and start killing everything that obstructed his path. The students behind him were still recovering from the shocking incident that had happened in the coach''s office but they understood that hesitating would inevitably lead to their death. If they were to hesitate while fighting with their life on the line, they would end up dead. Olivia, Rex, and Kian were the first to follow Liam and join the battle that ended with a clear victory not even two minutester. Liam had observed the three students and he gave them a quick thumbs up before they continued their way through the hallway of the outer ring. He was not sure how much time passed but they encountered Felix and his group of dozens of people after fighting against three more groups of monsters. "I heard you killed the head coach and his assistants!" Felix said loudly when he saw Liam soaked in the blood of the monsters he had killed before. Felix''s people retreated involuntarily when Liam approached them with the same overbearing and calm manner he had subjected Felix to before. "Yeah, so?" Liam responded, guessing that the young woman had safely made it inside the inner ring of the gymnasium. "So? Nothing much. I just wanted to tell you that you did a good job," Felix said while the corners of his lips curled upward. It looked like Felix wanted to add something but he shut his mouth and pointed behind him. "We''ve started sealing the side entrances of the outeryer but it looks like more rats made their way inside the outer ring. I guess you''ve encountered a bunch of them already. How about we clear one entrance after another together rather than running around wildly?" He proposed and Liam nodded his head without thinking too much about it. Felix turned around, not even considering that Liam could actually betray them and attack all of a sudden. His followers were not as trustworthy as Felix so they waited for Liam to walk past them before they followed Felix. After Liam had received more than one Arcanium for killing the ridiculously weak head coach and his assistants, he learned that it was actually worth killing Felix, his followers, and even the students he brought inside and receive easy money. Killing everyone inside the gymnasium would probably reward him with more than 1000 Arcanium, however, on the flip side it would end up with him being forced to fend for himself all alone and he wouldn''t be able toplete his customized mission properly. He wanted the additional rewards and not only his debt removed! That was one of the two reasons why he didn''t even think about massacring everyone mindlessly. The second reason, it was that he was distracted by the three notifications that had popped up when he finished killing thest group of rats. [The Host''s Stamina increased.] [The Host''s Stamina increased.] [The Host''s Will increased.] ** If you want to support me use your golden tickets and powerstones. You can also visit my pa treon: Pa treon/HideousGrain More character images and nice chats about the HideVerse: https://discord.gg/EdsDgFVWwZ Link also in my description. Do you like it? Leave a review and add it to the library! Chapter 25 Thunderous ?Liam was not sure why his Will increased twice in less than an hour, let alone why his Stamina increased straight to [F-] but he didn''t even think of rejecting the bountiful gains he made from fighting while being dead-tired. He was still tired and with every passing second grew more and more exhausted. It was great to see that his suicidal tactic was worth it! Four stats were now at [F-], his Arcane Power was at [E] while his Vitality was still at [G+]. Liam didn''t sustain any wounds which were why he didn''t expect his Vitality to improve soon either. ''I don''t have to use Arcanium for the time being¡­'' He told himself once again, hoping that he made the right decision by not investing his Arcanium immediately. Rushing things usually led to big mistakes, and Liam wanted to prevent that. Time passed slowly, yet oddly fast and they ended up sealing three side entrances while fighting hundreds of huge rats in between. The ordinary huge rats were not a problem anymore since there were dozens of people fighting them head-on by now. Liam and the others pulled several groups of ragged humans inside the gymnasium when they saw them desperately running for their lives, and Felix''s group, including the martial artist himself, began to fight soon after. At first, they thought of the Arcane Apocalypse as a game, a means that had been created for them to be the main protagonists and emerge victorious, but reality forced them back to their senses real quickly. Monsters were real and even more so the fact that a single mistake could lead to death. That was something some arrogant members in Felix''s group realized firsthand as they charged forward in an attempt to defeat a handful of ordinary huge rats all by themselves. Some of the rats were only injured since despite their huge size they were not strong enough to kill a human instantaneously. They would have to tear apart a human''s throat to kill them within seconds. And that was exactly what happened to two young athletes who had been trampled over by a group of ten dog-sized rats that tore them apart while they were still alive and screaming at the top of their lungs. Everyone witnessed their death and many were petrified due to the terrified and desperate screams that rang in their ears. Only Liam continued to move and retain his sensibility, saving the lives of dozens by killing a dozen rats with quick movement sequences. His action prevented the rats from overwhelming the shell-shocked witnesses of their friend''s cruel death. They regained their senses when they heard Liam''s shout that resounded in the surrounding area. "If you guys want to die, don''t pull others down with you, you fucktards!" Once everyone had regained their senses to a certain extent, fighting hundreds of ordinary huge rats every now and then seemed extremely easy. Nobody overestimated their power anymore and they chose to fight defensively rather than charging forward and dying a stupid death. They didn''t want to be torn apart like their friends whose screams were still ringing in their ears, forcing them to recall what they had witnessed not too long ago. It was still raining even after a few hours had passed but three out of six side entrances from the outeryer had been sealed properly. However, things changed drastically after the third entrance had been sealed. A thunderous roar reverberated through the area all of a sudden, forcing everything to a standstill. The walls of the gymnasium began to shake violently, causing trophies and other objects to fall off shelves. The people around Liam had a hard time breathing as heavy pressure descended onto them. They experienced the pressure apanied by a higher-ranked monster''s berserk roar for the first time that drained all the color from their faces. It was only obvious that they were shocked and unable to move properly. A memory crossed Liam''s mind when he had been unable to breathe for several minutes while he was quite young and forced to stand in front of a high-ranked monster that roared right in his face. At that time he was Circleless and not even five years old and the monster that unleashed its pressure was a Mythical creature, but the situation could still be considered simr¡­somehow. Liam rushed outside, ignoring the terrified expressions on the natives behind him as he looked in the direction he presumed the roar toe from. "I can''t see anything¡­that''s good¡­" He mumbled just to see something else that attracted his attention. His lips twitched and he turned around in an instant before he rushed back inside. "Go inside, or get trampled to death!" Liam shouted loudly as he returned back inside the fourth entrance they had nned to seal just now. He pushed the shell-shocked people inside, and shoved them all mercilessly without caring if he was manhandling them before he closed the entrance''s door. He got hold of a few iron poles that they had also used to seal the other gates before he put them through the handle. "Felix, bent it!" He ordered and Felix acted immediately, subconsciously following themand he had been given. Currents of blue light burst forth from the martial artist as he moved next to Liam before he grasped the two ends of the iron pole. He pulled the ends together with all his might while Liam had already averted his focus. "You, you and you, push the carts over!" Liammanded in an imposing manner that didn''t leave any choice for the men whom he had pointed at other than to follow his orders. They rushed over with the carts that they had used to carry around the sport equipment and mats they had previously used to seal everything including the small ss windows through which one could see the horror that unfolded outside the gymnasium. Liam could clearly see different monsters fleeing away from the direction from which the thunderous roar seemed to echo as it had been more than enough to shock them to the core. He averted his attention only when the carts were pushed to the front where Felix used his amplified strength to push the sport equipment down before they all rushed back to the second door of the side entrance. Since there were two entrances, Felix sealed it once more by bending an iron pole around the door handles, binding them together. This was not a permanent solution to protect the gymnasium since the Arcane Apocalypse would bring far more horrors to Haltan but it was a good way to reassure their survival in the early ''game''. Everyone sighed in relief when the entrance was more or less sealed, only for Liam to contemte silently. "The monsters have been scattered all over the ce thanks to the roar¡­they will start fighting soon¡­" Chapter 26 Meheks ?For a few minutes it sounded almost like the world had turned upside down outside the gymnasium. The building stopped rumbling but only a few were able to move properly. It was almost as if the majority of natives around Liam were unable to form a coherent thought, or as if their mind was still nk. Liam took note of their reactions but he was more focused on themotion that happened outside. They were not able to see anything outside anymore but the sounds reaching his ears were more than enough for him to draw a conclusion. "The monsters are shing now," He mumbled to himself before he walked back to the inneryer of the gymnasium. They had to seal the other side entrance and block the main entrance of the outeryer as well. "What do you mean by that?" Olivia asked in response to Liam''s mumbling but he just waved his hand away at her question, "Forget it." He didn''t really feel like exining that the intimidating roar came probably from way beyond the city, presumably from the mountain range across the valley. Others would start asking him questions and they would start doubting his knowledge. It was already weird that he knew so much about the Arcane System, the Arcane Apocalypse, and all these monsters, to begin with. No native from Haltan should possess the level of knowledge he had right now. The Arcane Apocalypse had just begun after all! It was also quite hard to exin that the monsters of the Nine Realms would fight each other as well. Every being wanted to instinctively use the Arcane System to get stronger, establish and reign over their own territory, which could be aplished with the help of the Arcane System. It was a great opportunity that allowed beings to break their racial limits and be terrific existences that were feared by everyone! He didn''t really want to exin that, let alone the source of his knowledge. Instead of bothering to answer Olivia''s question, Liam ended up returning to the inneryer of the gymnasium. He was greeted by identical expressions that were overflowing with pure terror. Most natives were not in a state to fight or retaliate since they were not in their right minds and they would turn into a huge burden rather than helping hands. Liam chose to ignore those humans and to take a look at the remaining sports equipment and other materials they could use to seal the entrances. "Let''s seal thest two side entrances quickly before we then pay attention to the main entrance. There might be more monsters in the gymnasium since they were scared and fled away from the thunderous roar but that shouldn''t be too difficult to deal with!" Liam suggested with confidence, not even looking behind him to see how many people followed him. In the worst case, he would just seal the entrances by himself. It wouldn''t be a perfect seal that would hold for a long time but that was not necessary, to begin with. For Liam, it was more than enough if the sealed side entrances were to hold out until the rain stops. He took everything into consideration and picked up a few metal pipes with his free hand. However, it was no sooner when a few people took the pipes out of his hands, allowing him free reign in the fights that awaited them. "We will take care of that, Sir¡­please focus on fighting¡­" One of them added hastily, his expression ghastly pale but his eyes showing traces of hope as he stared directly at Liam. ''Don''t hope too much, kiddo.'' Liam thought but he didn''t say anything out loud. He walked past the young athletes who were likely in their early teenage years just to hear the sound of dozens of footsteps behind him. Felix appeared by his side with a forced smile on his lips. "It''s good that we have you by our side. Your calmness is contagious, to a certain extent at least," He told Liam, who looked at the martial artist for a few seconds before muttering, "Panicking will just kill you guys. Wasting time stressing out won''t solve all problems magically." Liam reminded them to get their act together with a shrug as he made his way through the inneryer of the gymnasium. It was already a great surprise for him that no monster had charged inside the gymnasium''s inneryer but it was a good sign. Despise that, he was not surprised when he encountered a few dozen rats fighting a handful of Meheks in the hallway of the gymnasium''s outeryer. Meheks were a type of monster that evolved from Moles. They wererger, their height reaching almost that of 10-year-old kids when standing straight up on their two feet. Their ws were crimson and their fur was dark-brown, and there were many different types of Meheks with a variety of different capabilities. Three of those different types of Meheks appeared in front of Liam''s face, which caused him to frown lightly. ''I face these ugly bastards everywhere, whether it''s in the Overworld or here¡­you guys are so dead!'' He thought as he charged at the two ordinary Meheks, the bulkier Mehek and the two skinny Meheks who were totally focused on ughtering the ordinary huge rats. Liam triggered his Soultrait for a moment to decipher the movements the Meheks were about to make before he intercepted them cruelly. His arrival was a great surprise to the Meheks, whose back was facing him, and it was near-impossible for the skinny Meheks to evade them. They dashed to the side when they sensed an opponent from behind. This allowed them to evade the battle-axe that cleaved down toward them by a few centimeters. However, one of the skinny Meheks ran straight in the direction where Liam''s left hand was already waiting for it. Liam shed out with his left while his hand morphed into a w. He pushed closer to the monster while the Mehek squealed out in terror seeing the white w that was about to cut into its body. Liam''s left hand pierced cleaning through the fur of the Mehek that let out a blood-curdling wail, making the hair on the back of Liam''s neck stand up. But he could not afford to stop. His w cut deep into the monster''s flesh. The inside of the Mehek felt extremely warm, almost as if the monster was boiling, but Liam ignored the familiar warmth as he finished driving the w deeper inside the monster that stiffened only momentster when he pierced its heart. Chapter 27 Sealed ?[Agile Mehek has been yed.] [+0.3 Arcanium] Liam changed his stance the moment the notification popped up in front of him. He threw the corpse toward the bulky Mehek which shed in Liam''s direction in an attempt to tear him apart. The Mehek''s ws were almost twenty centimeters long but the bulky Mehek was not able to make use of those ws against Liam since the corpse of its brethren was in the way. Liam shortened the distance to the bulky Mehek when its ws cut through the Agile Mehek''s corpse almost simultaneously when he cleaved his battle axe downward with all his might. Liam aimed precisely at the Mehek''s head to kill it in a single lethal attack since it was a hassle to kill the bulky version of the Meheks by engaging in a long battle. The two ordinary Meheks tried to close in on Liam but two spears dug into their sides, preventing them not only from moving but severely injuring him as well. Liam had already seen the spearsing his way which was why he had more than enough time to focus on splitting the skull of the bulky Mehek in front of him. It was a grotesque sight to see the head of a monster being carved open by a battle axe but Liam was already somewhat familiar with that. [Heavy Mehek has been yed.] [+0.4 Arcanium] Brain mass and bone fragments sttered on Liam''s face and the notification of his sessful kill reached him, yet he was not able to take a breather. The other Agile Mehek had changed its trajectory after one of its brethren had been killed. It charged at him with a shocking eleration, wanting to seek vengeance. The Agile Mehek could elerate rapidly and Liam was not supposed to be able to evade its ws¡­if he hadn''t expected the surprise attack. He let go of the battle-axe the moment the Heavy Mehek''s skull burst open. His head flicked to the right where his Devil''s Eyes unveiled the secrets of the iing surprise attack. He twisted his upper body just a fragment of a second before the monster''s ws were about to cut through his chest, missing it by a hair''s breadth. Liam felt a faint sting across his chest but it was not enough to affect the course of actions he followed up with. His right hand shot out, grasping the Agile Mehek''s w, restricting its movement drastically while his left hand shot forward, ripping its chest apart angrily as warm blood sttered on his face. [+0.3 Arcanium] Liam threw the Agile Mehek''s body aside after a moment before he took a look at the situation around him. The remaining ordinary huge rats had scattered and the two ordinary Meheks had been dealt with as well. He picked up the battle axe and changed the form of his ws back to his hand before he took a look at his torn shirt. The droplets of red that trickled down the scratch he sustained from evading the second Agile Mehek''s attack showed Liam that the wound was not serious. "Let''s seal it before more Mehekse over. I don''t really want to fight masses of the Meheks since theirbat patterns seem moreplex than the rats'' wild but predictable pattern." Liam muttered to himself without further ado while kicking aside the corpses to make space for the carts to pass through properly. There were a few more monsters outside the entrance but Liam simply ignored them. He helped the others to seal the entrance before he walked over to thest of the six side entrances in the outeryer of the gymnasium. It was slowly getting darker outside but Liam and the others continued to fight relentlessly. Liam could hardly move his body but they finished fighting a few more monsters until they had sealed thest side entrance. As for the main entrance, they merely closed it for the time being, which hadn''t been that easy either. It required Liam and the others to fight a bunch of Meheks that had been fighting an Elite Ratatuo. The Meheks fought with great finesse and teamwork, which made it seem as if they were extremely intelligent. Liam knew that Meheks wereparable to Goblins in terms of intelligence but he didn''t want to openly say that. Thus, he was quite satisfied when the others saw how ten Meheks fought somewhat strategically against the Elite Ratatuo to take it down. The Meheks defeated it in the end, just for Liam to appear in their midst when they thought that the fight was over. He killed five of them in the blink of an eye, just for the others to join the heap of corpses a littleter. Afterward, the main entrance was properly closed. It would require several fully-grown men to move the heavy sports equipment away to open the main entrance once again, but that was intentional. They didn''t intend to seal it permanently since they required a way to enter and leave the gymnasium after all. Felix and the others only wanted the main entrance to be closed during the night since everyone required some sleep to get over their exhaustion. That was also why their groups cleared the other floors in the gymnasium to make sure that all people found their way to the first floor and that all monsters had been killed. A few monsters and humans had been hiding in small nooks and dark corners but everything had been taken care of a few hourster when it was already dark outside. The noises from outside dimmed down drastically and it felt like everyone had gone to sleep. Meanwhile, Liam was beyond exhausted. He sat in the corner of the hall with his eyes closed, letting his guard down for some time. ''This fucking Apocalypse will really kill me if I continue like this¡­'' He was trying to regte his breathing but it was near-impossible for him to move or control his body anymore. If a horde of monsters were to attack right now, Liam would be just as helpless as the petrified Natives whom he had rescued only a few hours ago. The main goal of his customized mission has been achieved by now and Liam was pretty sure that he would get his hands on an additional reward as well, but he was not yet satisfied with himself. It was still raining, and his stats were slowly increasing. ''Let''s figure out what to do tomorrow¡­now rest for an hour or two, then shopping and then¡­we will see¡­'' Chapter 28 Change Of Mind ?Even if he thought that rest was something reserved for the dead, he didn''t actually want to die. Thus, he let exhaustion take over and ended up sleeping for a few hours. When he opened his eyes once again, Liam was still tired and his entire body was sore and ached horribly after fighting the entire day before but his mind was clear which was everything he needed right now. He took a look at his status panel and read through it as if he would see something unexpected. ?¡ª-?Entity Details??¡ª-? [Liam Wandel] [Halfling] [Devil/Human] [Rank: Circleless] [Soultrait:¡ºDevil''s Eyes¡»] [Arcanium: 153.9] ¡ª¡ª¡ª-?Stats?-¡ª¡ª¡ª [Vitality: (G+)] [Strength: (F)] [Agility: (F)] [Stamina: (F-)] [Arcane Power: (E)] [Will: (F-)] ?___________________? ''Looks like the notifications about my Strength and Stamina were not wrong. My Arcanium is also pretty high now.'' Before he fell asleep, Liam had seen two notifications about an increase in his Strength and Agility stat. But he had been so drained and exhausted that he wasn''t sure if he had actually seen it or something his brain had conjured up before darkness consumed him. Thus, it was great to see that his stats were actually increasing quite a bit. Within a day, most of his stats had increased by an entire rank without the need to use Arcanium to directly increase them. He had used the Fortune''s Liquor which hadn''t been a waste of precious Arcanium but a good investment in resources that increased his stats drastically. The Fortune''s Liquor had been a limited item and something that could only be purchased once. Furthermore, it was already sold out by now, which Liam figured out by taking a look at the Arcane Shop. There were a few things he got to know by taking a look at the Arcane Shop after a few hours of sleep. This included the appearance of a few temporary shops that had been created by others. Liam couldn''t see the name of the shop owners since they were anonymous but he could browse through the goods that were sold in the shop, which gave him a rough understanding of the races that were in control of their own temporary shops. ''The Elves and Dwarves are trying to make it big¡­those fucking scammers¡­'' Liam couldn''t help but scoff when he saw the price for potions and enchanted wood weapons that could be purchased in two shops, followed by the ordinary iron weapons, leather armor and other armaments that could be purchased in the other temporary shops. Their prices were cheaper than their counterparts that could be purchased in the Arcane Shop, but they were still exorbitantly priced in Liam''s opinion. In the Overworld, the body parts of the Meheks he killed were more than enough to purchase a whole set of potions and an ordinary iron sword. However, the Arcanium he earned by killing them was not even enough to purchase two potions, let alone a potion set in addition to a weapon! ''Well, I cannot really consider it expensive since the Arcanium earned from killing others is merely a bonus. I could still sell the monster corpses in the Arcane Shop if I had a shop and a customer who was willing to pay the price for the bodies.'' Liam thought in frustration. He understood that the times had changed and that the supply and demand for certain things would change ording to the needs. Right now, everyone was in dire need of weapons, other armaments, and potions. It was only obvious that the Dwarves and Elves would focus on producing what others wanted and that they would sell it for a high enough price to make it worth their efforts. It was already a huge investment to pay 1000 Arcanium to be the temporary shop owner of the Lowest-ranked Shop, for merely five days at that. The materials required to concoct potions and produce the weapons and armaments were not avable for free, nor were the utensils required to concoct, enchant and forge. ''Looks like I''m a delusional hypocrite,'' Liam thought with a faint smile on his lips. He couldn''t help but change his perspective of the given situation and re-evaluate his view of the present and future. Time was Arcanium and it looked like the Elves and Dwarves had prepared themselves to invest a lot to make sure that they would receive a head-start. It was not possible for Liam to see the sales report of the temporary shops but he was pretty sure that the Elves and Dwarves were making bank! ''So should I sit around trying to sense the Arcane Power in the surroundings, or should I worry now?'' Liam asked himself before he shrugged as if that was enough of an answer. His body was in need of a little bit more rest. Thus, he closed his eyes and tried to feel the Arcane Power in his surrounding area. Since Haltan was the only intersection between the Nine Realms, it was a ce that received the influx of Arcane Power prevalent in all Nine Realms. It was supposed to be a ce abundant of Arcane Power but Liam could barely sense any. That made it quite difficult for him to even think about increasing his Arcane Power naturally without the use of Arcanium or treasures that would permanently increase his Arcane Power. ''Haltan had been hibernating for eons¡­I should have expected that¡­'' Liam grumbled to himself before he opened his eyes once again. Increasing his Arcane Power while resting was not possible anymore. However, going to sleep was not a feasible option either. He didn''t want to waste his precious time sleeping if he was already fully awake and not the slightest bit tired, or so he was trying to tell himself. His mind was wide awake and the only issue was his sore body. But that was something he could cope with. Not feeling like wasting his time doing something useless, he took a look through the dimly illuminated gymnasium. Many had fallen asleep but the majority of natives were on the verge of going insane. Liam shouldn''t be worried about their sanity, however, in the long run it might actually turn into a nuisance since insane people could easily turn into maniacs that were willing to kill mindlessly. Furthermore, it was only a matter of time before someone would notice that killing each other might actually be a decent idea, considering that the gains are a big stash of Arcanium! Liam didn''t want to worry about that right now but he had to take all options into consideration in order to ensure that as many natives as possible would survive. Chapter 29 Dracoli Cookies ?After finding out about the path the Dwarves and Elves chose to sweep through the Arcane Apocalypse, Liam couldn''t help but change his approach as well. He wanted to save up his Arcanium and purchase something more expensive at first, but he realized now that saving up his Arcanium might actually lead to a worse result. Consistently investing Arcanium should give him better results given that he may actually earn much more from killing more opponents and protecting more Natives than sitting on his small pile of Arcanium. Liam had already saved up 150 Arcanium, which meant that he could make a rather big investment in himself. ''The steel battle-axe needs to be reced but I also want to increase my stats a little bit more. Being sore and all is a nuisance if I want to go out and pull more natives inside the gymnasium¡­'' Liam was in a small dilemma as conflicting thoughts kept bombarding him. He didn''t really like thinking too much since overthinking would inevitably lead to mistakes. At least, that was how it had been for him all the time. His first decisions were often better solutions to problems than those he came up with from overthinking. Liam had experienced this very often, showing him quite clearly that his instincts would usually help him find a quick and longsting alternative that led to a better oue. Thus, Liam began to scroll through the Elven and Dwarven shops before he turned over to the Arcane Shop where he found something that attracted his interest. [¡ºDracoli Cookie¡»¨CCircleless Food/Medicine(E- Rank)¨C ? Description: Eating the Dracoli Cookie will fill the body with vigor and life. Minor injuries and ailments may be cured by eating Dracoli Cookies. Remark: Dracoli Cookies are considered the mostmon delicacy in the Dragonheart Empire.] The cost of a single Dracoli Cookie was 0.5 Arcanium, which was quite a lot for something as ordinary as a cookie. However, something written in the description caught Liam''s eye and he purchased a bunch of them. [7x¡ºDracoli Cookie(E- Rank)¡»have been purchased. 3.5 Arcanium have been deducted!] Seven cookies materialized in Liam''s hand as his Arcanium was reduced to just above 150, but he didn''t really mind that. It was necessary to eat something and receive the bare minimum nutrition in order to keep fighting. Paying 3.5 Arcanium for snacks was not actually worth it, but he was pretty sure that it was not a bad deal if in return his soreness and minor injuries would heal. He guessed that the Dracoli Cookies would fill his stomach for the day since they were full of vigor and life. With that in mind, he finished them one after another before he waited patiently. A few minutes passed in the blink of an eye until Liam felt that something within his body was changing. A sudden influx of vigor threatened to tear him into pieces as he staggered back, reeling from the after effects of the vitality that was unleashed inside him all of a sudden. The sensation was several times more intense than he expected and his eyes widened in slight astonishment. His body tensed up and the wound on his chest began to heal, causing a tingling sensation to spread around the area of the wound. Following that, his entire body began to itch whichsted for a few minutes before the overflowing vitality seemed to have calmed down a little. He threw his head back and inhaled lungfuls of air as he forced his mind and body to adjust to the sensation. ''Has my vision improved?'' He wondered in astonishment, nearly blurting his doubt out loud. It didn''t really make sense that he was suddenly able to see better, but that was actually what happened. ''Did I not realize that I was injured before? That¡­my entire body was covered with minor injuries?'' Liam had a hard time epting that, however, the reality was different. It took him a few minutes in which he thought hard about what had actually happened before an expression of enlightenment spread all over his face. "The Awakening!" He nearly shouted out loud as realization struck him hard. His Soultrait Awakening, the awakening that had been initiated and finished in an instant was actually the culprit. Liam felt as if a deadweight had suddenly been lifted off his chest and the soreness that had spread all over his body was not troubling him anymore either. He felt great, much better than expected. And that too just from eating a few cookies! The investment was certainly worth it even though Liam had actually expected something else to happen. ''It actually increased!'' Liam thought as he nced at a new notification that had popped up in the corner of his field of vision. [The Host''s Vitality increased.] The increase in his Vitality was not as surprising as the minor wounds that had tormented his body. He didn''t even know that the wounds existed, in the first ce. That was already surprising enough for Liam, which grew into an even bigger surprise since an investment of 3.5 Arcanium tended to the wounds through the vigor and life that was spreading through his entire body. ''Now it makes much more sense why the Arcane System valued mybat prowess four times higher the moment my Soultrait awakening waspleted. I''m actually stronger than before but was unable to make use of my entire strength¡­that''s interesting!'' Liam had yet to invest the remaining 150 Arcanium in his possession and he was already satisfied with his purchases. The System''s evaluation of hisbat prowess shouldn''t have changed a lot but the strength flowing through him made him feel like the Liam from ten minutes ago was a weakling! ''With the right equipment, Elite Ratatuo shouldn''t be much of an issue anymore¡­'' Now that his body was full of vigor and his stats didn''t make him feel like he was at the bottom of the foot chain, Liam''s only unsolved issue was the choice of equipment. He could purchase some essories that had been enchanted with specific spells, get his hands on a storage item rather than a way to increase hisbat prowess through external means, or he could purchase a new weapon. Something that would go well with his extraordinary control of Arcane Power would be perfect since it would make things much easier for him until the customized mission would end. After Liam spent some time reconsidering differentbat styles that may or may not be suitable for the given situation he came to a decision. ''Be a great investment and return a profit of more than 500% to me!'' He spoke in his mind as he finished the deal by purchasing three different things from the Arcane System and spending the remaining 150 Arcanium. This left him with a mere 0.4 Arcanium but a hopefully great investment! Chapter 30 Armed To The Teeth...Or Not ?[1x¡º500 ck Tarthear Needles (D Rank)¡», 1x¡ºCasket of Trickery (E- Rank)¡», 1x¡ºnchal Silk Gloves (C- Rank)¡»have been purchased. 150 Arcanium have been deducted!] A pair of white, fingerless gloves, and two small ck boxes materialized in front of Liam. He reached out to them and smiled lightly. The fabric of the gloves was extremely thin and the color perfectly matched the skin tone of Liam which made it seem as if he wasn''t wearing anything when he put them on. As for the two ck boxes, one was the Casket of Trickery. It was ck in color with a small button on the left side. The backside of the Casket of Trickery had two loops which made it easy for him to attach it to his belt. Overall, the Casket of Trickery was ten centimeters long, five centimeters wide, and not even two centimeters in height. It was an extremely small box with a simple, yet extremely important function¡­the Casket of Trickery could store a total of 500 needles inside and release one at a time under the influx of Arcane Power or by pressing the small button on the left side. That was a sleek mechanism behind the Casket of Trickery that could barely be perceived when someone wore a ck belt! [¡ºCasket of Trickery¡»¨CCircleless esory(E- Rank)¨C Description: Simple box that fits 500 Needles. It can dispense one Needle whenever essed through the trigger on the left. Arcane Power can function as a trigger as well. Remark: Customized item for 500 Tarthear Needles. May not fit other Needles!] The Casket of Trickery had a unique name but it was a rather simple box. Nheless, it cost Liam five Arcanium which was not cheap under the current circumstances. Liam was pretty sure that it was worth the investment since it would allow him to move much more smoothly when initiating sudden attacks with the ck Tarthear Needles and taking his enemy by surprise, but that was only something the future could tell. He opened the other box in which the 500 ck Tarthear Needles were stored and transferred them into the Casket of Trickery. Afterward, he was testing a few things such as the functioning of the Casket''s dispenser and how easy it was to use the ck Tarthear Needles. Liam rarely used needles or simr means to fight his opponents in the past. The fighting style of an assassin hadn''t been suitable for him since hisbat style was usually brutal and straightforward not deceptive or cunning. That had always been enough for him to defeat his opponents since he was resilient like a cockroach. Being hard to kill had been quite an advantage in the past but that didn''t mean he was the same as before, especially since he was not in possession of the same Soultrait as before. That was also why he had gotten his hands on a hidden weapon, small and deadly, and perfect to use against his current opponents. [¡º500 ck Tarthear Needles¡»¨CCircleless Hidden Weapon(D Rank)¨C Description: The destructiveness of the ck Tarthear Needle is the same as an ordinary needle if not used with Arcane Power. Coated with Arcane Power the ck Tarthear Needle unfolds its true prowess. Poison will spread through the designated target upon contact with anything that possesses Arcane Power! Remark: Don''t y around with it, or you may identally kill your ownrades. Many have experienced this!] Not using any Arcane Power turned the ck Tarthear Needles into ordinary ck-colored needles. They were special since they were created from a unique metal that released a toxin after it came in contact with Arcane Power. The ck Tarthear Needles were adjusted to make sure that the wielder won''t sustain any injuries if the needles coated in Arcane Power won''t remain in his hands for more than five seconds. The 500 needles cost him 45 Arcanium, which meant that the set of needles and the Casket of Trickery cost him a total of 50 Arcanium. That was quite a lot, considering that the ck Tarthear Needles were hard to locate and retrieve once they hit their target. Liam didn''t think that he would have enough time to search for a bunch of needles in the middle of a fight. Thus, he considered them a one-time use item, which meant that he had to earn 1 Arcanium for every 10 ck Tarthear Needles he used to make up for the loss. But Liam didn''t n to earn back just what he invested. He wanted to make big profits with the ck Tarthear Needles since it was a waste of precious resources to throw the needles at ordinary huge rats, or the ordinary Meheks. However, even if the Casket of Trickery and the 500 ck Tarthear Needles had been expensive, the nchal Silk Gloves were certainly the most expensive item Liam purchased from the Arcane Shop. The nchal Silk Gloves were fingerless which was a necessity since it allowed Liam to fight with his hands and give room to let them morph into ws while also using the ck Tarthear Needles. The steel battle-axe was not essential anymore even though Liam chose to carry it around with him. After all, it mighte in handy in the future. Liam didn''t think that it would be necessary since the nchal Silk Gloves were exceptional but he might be mistaken. [¡ºnchal Silk Gloves¡»¨CCircleless Armament(C- Rank)¨C Description: The nchal Silk Gloves are made from the silk of a nchal Silkworm. The silk is known for its great conductivity of Arcane Power and the effect to store Arcane Power inside it. Once filled to the brim, the gloves will naturally circte Arcane Power through the wearer''s hands. The stored Arcane Power can be controlled freely and it can be released in an instant if desired. Remark: The surge of Arcane Power can damage the wearer''s hands if not controlled properly!] The nchal Silk Gloves were very helpful for Liam since he could use the Arcane Power stored inside the gloves to reinforce his ws if necessary. In the worst case, he could even use the Arcane Power inside the nchal Silk Gloves to trigger the effect of the ck Tarthear Needles. It was great to have a small storage of Arcane Power that could be controlled freely. Liam tried to fill the nchal Silk Gloves with his Arcane Power but he noticed quickly that the gloves had a storage capacity that exceeded the Arcane Power his body could hold at once. It was not much of a difference but it was more than enough for Liam to nod his head in satisfaction. The nchal Silk Gloves cost him 100 Arcanium, which was also why it had been a hard decision to arrive at and he had spent some time debating whether he should purchase them, or if it would be better to purchase a weapon for the same price. In the end, Liam chose the nchal Silk Gloves since he required more Arcane Power, to begin with. His Devil''s Eyes Soultrait required a considerable amount of Arcane Power to be triggered and to sustain it and the same could be said about the ck Tartheart Needles. If he were to use many of them within a short period of time, his Arcane Power would be drained real quick. Of course, there was more to Liam''s purchase! Chapter 31 Throw ?After the nchal Silk Gloves were filled with Arcane Power, it began to circte through his hands. The Arcane Power that was led through his hands reached the tip of his fingers before it was led back inside the gloves effortlessly. The cirction was natural and well-maintained without the leakage of even an ounce of Arcane Power from the gloves. That was exactly what Liam had hoped for since the cirction of Arcane Power enhanced the dexterity of his fingers. Releasing his ws, Liam took note that their sharpness and durability them was reinforced as well. ''Good, there is nothing wrong with that!'' He was satisfied with his purchase and could sense that his ws were much harder than steel. The sharpness of his ws had already been much better than the sharp des of steel weapons, to begin with, but it was only now that he was confident to easily tear through the fur of the Elite Ratatuo. In fact, it would feel like a hot knife cutting through warm butter! Of course, Liam knew how the natural cirction of Arcane Power would react to his ws, and that the Arcane Power would sharpen them. It was not as if his body had changed just because his powers disappeared. There was a little difference between losing his powers, awakening a different Soultrait, and being in possession of a body that reacted differently to Arcane Power as it did in the past. Thetter was fortunately not the case, otherwise, purchasing the nchal Silk Gloves could have turned into a big mistake. But now that everything went ording to his n, the only thing he was missing out on was experimenting with the traits of the ck Tarthear Needles. It was necessary to know how fast the needles would fly if he threw them with his full strength, how far they could fly, how much damage they did and the limits of the needles. He didn''t want to mistakenly attack a monster with an extremely tough hide or other sharper defenses and waste his ck Tarthear Needles that way. Knowing the limits of his weapons was important, it could save him from trouble in the future. Thus, he got up from the ground. He stretched his body and walked across the entire gymnasium before he ended up in therge sports equipment room. There weren''t many things in the equipment room but that was perfectly fine since he didn''t need much. He got hold of two thin wooden benches that were three meters long and he carried them back to the corner of therge hall. When he returned back to the ce he had rested for a short while, Liam took note of the students and other people who slept more or less soundly. ''She is here as well?'' He noticed the young woman, who had nearly been raped, sleeping not too far from the ce he had rested until a few minutes ago. Her clothes were stained red from the dried blood of the head coach and it was quite obvious that she was having a nightmare as she slept in the fetal position and flinched every now and then. Nheless, the fact that she could fall asleep was astonishing as most natives weren''t capable of doing that since their minds were still being haunted by the events of the previous day. Liam was quite surprised to find out how easily the students digested that their reality had been turned upside down. All of them were still sleeping, even though they had been the most afraid when the masses of rats had first attacked them. ''Thinking about it, they seemed to have epted the new reality quite quickly,'' Liam figured, not sure how he would have reacted in their shoes. He couldn''t really imagine what it would feel like to have a calm and peaceful life. Liam ced the wooden benches next to each other in a vertical position. The benches rested against the wall, which was more than good enough for what he wanted to test. Liam took one big step backward, retrieved one needle, and threw it toward the wooden bench with some force. The tip of the needle dug into the wood before it was forcefully stopped. Thus, Liam used his full force to throw the second ck Tartheart needle toward the wooden bench. The force was considerable and it was more than enough for most of the needle to cut through the wood. Liam nodded his head feeling somewhat satisfied and he took another step back. He was slowly getting hang of the feeling and threw a few more ck Tartheart needles toward the wooden bench. None of his attacks missed but the strength he used for every throw was vastly different. While testing out a bunch of things, Liam ended up throwing more than a hundred ck Tartheart needles in the next few minutes. He retrieved the needles afterward, and stored them back in the Casket of Trickery just to take a few steps back. When the distance between him and the wooden benches crossed five meters, Liam began to aim precisely at the different areas of the wooden benches while he was walking around seemingly aimless. He was trying to smoothly retrieve the ck Tartheart needles from the Casket of Trickery and implement the necessary movements in his natural walk. Time passed quickly but he was slowly getting the hang of the situation. He kept increasing the distance to the wooden benches, yet his aim remained as precise as before. This was a predicted oue since he was not only versatile and trained with most weapons but the dexterity of his hand was also artificially enhanced through the Arcane Power that circted through his veins. Liam was ambidextrous which made things even more interesting. The only issue he faced was to figure out how exactly he should ce the Casket of Trickery to remain undiscovered to the enemy eye yet be easily essible by both hands. In the end, Liam chose to put the Casket of Trickery behind his back. He couldn''t reach the trigger of the Casket with both hands, not smoothly at least but he could use a trace of Arcane Power to trigger the mechanism of the Casket of Trickery. It was pretty easy for someone like him to use and he could tell that his motions were getting smoother with time. That feeling was addictive and hard to replicate. After all, it was rare to learn something new and improve rapidly while doing it for the first time. ''Looks like I didn''t lose my talent to throw stuff¡­even if it''s not throwing a fit¡­'' Chapter 32 No Fucks Given ?By the time the sun rose over the horizon, Liam finished his training. He collected the hundreds of ck Tarthear Needles that he had thrown into the wooden benches during his short practice session before they broke apart. The wooden benches had been riddled with holes due to numerous needles that had been thrown by Liam with tremendous force. ''At least they were somewhat useful,'' Liam thought while looking at the wooden benches. He was sweating buckets but he was still feeling fine and vigorous. His condition was certainly better than it had been during the entirety of the previous day, that was for sure! His shirt was wet again due to all the sweat but other than that he had dried. Moving around with dried pants and shoes was certainly morefortable than wet clothes clinging to his body. Looking at the current situation in the hall, Liam nodded his head subtly. It was time for him to leave the gymnasium since he wanted to find more survivors. Bringing them over to the gymnasium would be the easiest way to make sure that he could increase the number of natives he protected actively and passively, thereby improving his mission score. That was what he had nned to achieve before using up his entire Arcanium to buy the ck Tarthear needles, the Casket of Trickery and the nchal Silk Gloves. If not for his n, he wouldn''t have chosen to fight with his ws. Sooner orter someone would suspect his origin even if he were to use some excuses to convince others that he was actually human, which was simply not true, not entirely at least. One way or another, he was one of the many infiltrators since he came from a different Realm. It didn''t even matter whether he wanted to obliterate all native humans from Haltan or not. Because Liam understood his situation pretty well, he chose not to give a fuck about his secret anymore. Wearing the Devil Mask was merely something he needed to gain more trust from the natives until his mission waspleted. As for protecting his secret identity in any other way, Liam didn''t think that it was necessary, not anymore. He was not afraid of the natives since they acted simrly to the humans in the Overworld. The only difference Liam had perceived until now was that the natives were weaker. Their physical strength might not be necessarily weaker but their hearts were too soft. None of them seems to have gone through the same hardships most beings in the Overworld had gone through. Being born and raised innds filled with war was different than being born in a peaceful area where death seemed to be something foreign and distant. That was clearly visible right now as well. It hadn''t been a full day since the Arcane Apocalypse started and almost everyone was still shell-shocked. The natives required some more time to digest everything that had happened and was paralyzed with fear, but it was not as if the infiltrators would give them that much time. It was already a great fortune that the night had passed without any big incidents. The gymnasium was still standing strong, which was great. When his gazended on the students around him, Liam halted in his tracks. He squinted his eyes and looked at the faces of every student around him. There weren''t all students whom he had saved the day before but more than fifteen students between the age of 16 and 19 were staring straight back at him, looking at Liam as if he was their master, lord, and savior. ''I don''t want to raise kids yet¡­'' Liam was trying hard to maintain his pokerface as he analyzed their current mental condition. They seemed to be overly reliant on him, but other than that, their condition and overall responsiveness had improved quite decently. At least, some of them were doing a lot better now. "What are you guys nning to do after the rain stops?" He asked them without even realizing it. His expression changed a bit when he noticed what he had just asked but he tried to hide his surprise as well as possible. The students continued to stare at him and nobody muttered a word for the time being until Olivia stepped forward. "I will follow you until I have repaid my debt. If I return to my family while I''m still indebted to you, I will tarnish the reputation of my family!" She dered with a stern expression. Liam could tell that Olivia was strong-willed but he didn''t really feel like raising someone like Olivia. He had other things to take care of, not some natives who were rookies to the ways of the Nine Realms. "As long as you don''t reject me, I would like to follow you as well. I will give my utmost to be a valuable asset to your team!" Kian said with a considerable amount of confidence in his voice. He had made a few mistakes the day before, mistakes that shattered his pride and confidence a little, but after some sleep, he was ready to make up for the mess he created. "Me too!" "I feel the same¡­" ¡­ ¡­ Liam was trying hard to keep aposed expression but he could only shake his head at that. It was quite obvious that most, if not all of them were trying to ride his coattail. They figured that he was strong and that his pieces of advice had proven correct and saved them a lot of trouble, increasing their confidence in him tremendously. It was quite obvious that the students believed that everything would be fine as long as they were near him, the only person who could keep everyone together and safe the day before. "Does that mean everyone is ready to fight with their life on the line, every single day?" Liam asked rather calmly. He didn''t think that it would be helpful to intimidate anyone by using a sharp or dominating voice. On the contrary, his calm voice turned the situation even more serious because they feared that was exactly what may happen while fighting by Liam''s side. Most students stared nkly at him for several seconds, which was enough for Liam to understand that he had driven the point home. "Either way¡­I will bring in a few more survivors. Think about what I asked, and make your decision," Liam said as if he was giving them a choice before he turned away, while quietly muttering to himself, "...and stay away from me!" Chapter 33 The Truth Behind The Mask ?Liam knew that it was better for others to stay away from him. There was no way that anyone would befortable around him once his origin was exposed either way. He didn''t trust anyone, no matter how naive they seemed at the first nce. The lessons he learned in the past were more than enough to show him quite clearly that everyone would have the same reaction once they found out about his bloodline and origin. It was easier to betray him than to stay by his side. That was something Liam learned from a young age. Even if someone could ignore that he was human and devil, it was not possible for anyone to ignore his origin. He vividly recalled the Halflings who took him in thinking that he was just like them. The terror-filled gaze with which they stared at him after they found out that¡­ Liam nearly shuddered as he made his way to the closest door that led straight to the main entrance of the gymnasium. "Do you want to open the main entrance already?" Felix asked when he noticed where Liam was going. "I will take your leave and bring some more survivors," Liam answered with a nod. He looked at Felix and his people who were to his right. Felix seemed to be doing decently fine and some of his people weren''t doing that bad either. However, Liam''s focus quickly diverted to something he saw from the corner of his eye. His ducklings had gotten up from the ground and were following him! "You guys should think about an answer while I''m away¡­not¡­." Liam was at a loss for words at the sight of the dozen or more students who stared nkly at him when he tried to remind them again. He simply rolled his eyes and muttered, "...forget it¡­" Liam didn''t think that it was troublesome if his identity were to be exposed during the next few fights but he wanted to avoid getting poked in the back by a bunch of steel spears if possible. "Just stay back, kids. You can follow me after the rain stops if you want to be stronger¡­" He thus said, while waving at the students to make it clear that he meant them. Though he couldn''t help but nce pitifully at them and think, ''If you can find me once the rain stops that is.'' However, it didn''t look like the students wanted to give him an opportunity to leave without them. "Why can we only follow you after the rain stops? The storm might not end in the next few days!" Rex said in a voice loud enough for everyone around them to hear. He was one of the few students who dared to say something against Liam''s decision, but the other students simply nodded their heads, too terrified to open their mouths. "No questions!" Liam cut him off sharply. He was slowly losing his patience, and Felix kept watching the scene as a neutral spectator. He raised his eyebrows and continued to observe. "...but why?" Rex continued to retort, just a bit quieter this time. He looked at the ground and tiptoed around, which was enough for Liam to stare coldly at Rex with the desire to snap his neck. "You guys won''t becking food, or water for the next few days. That means y''all can just kill the remaining rats all around the gymnasium. It is unlikely that the Elite Ratatuo will focus on you guys since they will fight other monsters on their level. But even if they were to focus on you guys, poke their eyes, and pierce their butts. Don''t panic and just kill them. Pay attention to your safety, otherwise, I will not get my re¡­you guys will die! Following me right now is equal to a suicide mission for you guys, and even for me since you guys are more of a deadweight than being helpful right now¡­ I don''t want to see anyone here die while I slowly move away, which will definitely happen once I take you guys with me!" Liam exined while beating around the bush. He had a slip of his tongue which thankfully none of the students noticed as he used his ''worry'' about the students'' health as an excuse to go out alone. Labeling them as deathweight was harsh but necessary. It prevented most students from beginning to grumble like Rex a while ago and save him a lot of trouble. They knew that he was stronger than them and that he could go to ces where they would only hold him back if they are with him. Liam was satisfied with the reaction of most students, and was relieved but his satisfaction did not stay long when he saw the expressions of the faces of Olivia, Kian, and Rex. ''These fuckers¡­'' It was quite obvious that he wouldn''t be able to get rid of the most annoying ducklings. They would keep following him even if he didn''t want that to happen. Liam chose to change his approach to the situation given the predicament he was facing. Thus, he did something that most would consider extremely stupid. He nodded his head, motioned the students to follow him and he left the gymnasium with more than a dozen ducklings following him. Felix looked at them with a wry smile on his face. "Why do I feel like something big is going to happen soon?" While Felix was not sure what his gut feeling was telling him, Liam and the others left the gymnasium through the main entrance. They encountered a few monsters outside but they sensed Liam''s bad mood and the bloodlust that radiated from him. The weakest monsters chose to flee upon seeing him while the other monsters maintained a certain distance from him. Once Liam and the others were far enough from the gymnasium, he halted in his tracks. ''Let''s see if you guys will continue following me after that¡­'' He thought to himself as he removed the ck devil mask. Others may think that it was stupid to expose himself to the students but he didn''t really n to return to the gymnasium either way. He wanted the students to be stronger and turn the gymnasium into an imprable fortress while he would pull more natives inside the gymnasium. It was not necessary for him to be inside the gymnasium toplete the customized mission! With that in mind, Liam turned around, unveiling his face to the students who froze in their tracks. "Hello there, I am Liam Wandel, one of the trespassers of Haltan!" "..." "..." "Nah¡­you''re just handsome¡­" Chapter 34 Unexpected ?Liam expected the worst when he removed the ck devil mask from his face, but the situation took an unexpected turn. While he had expected others to either attack him or flee away, screaming like banshees, all of them just stared at him, unblinkingly. His royal purple eyes and the vibrant ck horn that jutted from the left side of his forehead were hard to miss though he stood in the midst of the heavy downpour. His skin was snow-white and his clothes were drenched in the rainwater even before he could take ten steps. But none of that attracted Liam''s interest right now. He nkly stared at the young woman who blurted out what was on her mind while staring unabashedly at his face, "Nah¡­you''re just handsome¡­" The young woman was openly gawking at Liam and only seemed to regain her senses as her eyes met with Liam''s vibrant stare. She blinked furiously and she felt momentarily incapable of formting a coherent response. "W-What?¡­you¡­you are h-handsome¡­" She said shyly, just for Liam to recall who the young woman actually was. ''She was nearly raped by the head coach. I thought she was soundly asleep,'' He recalled and was about to avert his focus when he heard the young woman pushing the student next to her. "Isn''t he?" She blurted out, trying to seek someone''s help as her cheeks kept getting redder. Kian was standing next to the young woman and he had been staring at Liam just like everyone else. He was forced to gather his senses when the young woman pushed him before he noticed that Liam''s attention had moved onto him. "Y-Yeah, I guess he is handsome¡­the horn is pretty intimidating¡­adds charm¡­I guess¡­" Kian said somewhat helplessly as he snatched words out of his mouth. He had a lot more to say but no more words escaped his lips. Everyone felt like that, well, almost everyone. The sudden revtion was shocking and it was hard to digest. After all, the students had been certain that Liam was human. He could speak theirnguage, protected them to the best of his ability and Liam made sure that all of them would be stronger to fight against the Arcane Apocalypse. It didn''t really make sense that Liam was suddenly their enemy! Liam scanned the reactions of the students and smiled lightly as he put the mask back on his face. Earlier, he would have considered killing all of them rather than unveiling his identity but he needed them, or rather their strength and their ability to survive the Arcane Apocalypse. The ducklings who had chosen to follow him were somewhat powerful. Their Soultraits were decent forbat as well, which meant that they could prove to be useful enough to help him passively protect the natives for his customized mission. He would also get contribution points for that, increasing his rating in the mission by arge margin. Some things changed a little, which was also why he had decided to reveal his identity. He wanted the natives, or at least his ducklings, to be aware that there were not only monsters but also other, humanlike races, who chose to attack Haltan, whether it was to conquer the entire, build a rtionship with Natives or simply to protect their own Realm in every possible way. There might be better ways to exin everything neatly but the shock treatment seemed to be quite efficient as well. Or so Liam thought until he looked into Olivia''s eyes. "Were you trying to hide that you''re not from Earth, or whatever you guys call our? Wasn''t that quite obvious? You must take us for fools if you actually thought that we didn''t notice you''re different!" Olivia dered in a manner that caused everyone to look at her with stern expressions. Liam squinted his eyes, feeling pretty sure that the other students were currently cursing Olivia in their minds. He could tell that the others didn''t notice that he was different from them even if he was more knowledgeable about monsters, the Arcane System, and a few other things. All of these pieces of information could have been procured in certain ways other than the ''obvious fact'' that Liam came from one of the Nine Realms. ''Either she is extremely good at deducing facts, but oblivious when ites to seeing things that are right in front of her¡­or she is good at guessing,'' Liam figured while shaking his head lightly. The corners of his lips uptilted at the confused expression on Olivia''s face as she was stared at by almost everyone else. It was obvious that she didn''t know what was going on right now. "You look crazy, dude. What a chad!" Rex suddenly eximed. His eyes gleamed brightly as he kept stealing nces at Liam''s horn. "Can I touch your horn? Just once¡­?" "Fuck off¡­" Liam blurted out an expected response that caused many to smile lightly. The tension around them reduced considerably, which was contrary to Liam''s expectations. He wanted to instill a certain sense of fear in the minds of those around him but he had no control of the situation and that made him ufortable. It was especially burdensome that he was not rejected and that they had not pointed their weapons at him, after all, that was the reaction he expected to receive upon revealing his identity. ''Maybe the natives here are more foolish than the Overworldly Humans I know?'' While looking at Rex, whose eyes were basically glowing in a radiant light, Liam couldn''t exclude the possibility. As for Olivia, she was probably too intelligent for her own good, which ended up damaging hermon sense. But then there was also Kian who stared a few seconds at Liam before he nodded his head. "I will still follow you. I can understand why you hid your identity from us before. Now that we have a hideout you should know that it is not necessary to lie to us anymore. It must have been hard to lie to us all the time yet keep us from harm. You were trying hard to help us even though we could have exposed you with every bit of information you revealed. I don''t really understand why exactly the Arcane Apocalypse is happening but I can tell that you are a good person." Kian said while moving his head as he was speaking. He looked at Liam for a while with a faint smile on his face which was more than enough for Liam''s eyes to start twitching. "Are you guys idiots?" Chapter 35 Humane? ?Liam was certain that the students in front of him were all idiots, including the silver-spoon Olivia. He expected a little bit more from all of them, just to be looked at in the same way as before. It was almost as if it didn''t make a difference to them whether he was just a mysterious savior or an infiltrator from another Realm! That was in stupid, and Liam couldn''t trust what he saw. "What does it matter whether you are a Demon or something like that? You helped us when we desperately needed it and you didn''t abandon us when we were stupid enough to stand around like stone statues rather than fighting with all our might!" Kian responded after his lengthy exnation of how he did not see any faults with Liam''s reasoning to reveal his identity only now. Liam''s lips parted for a second just to close once again. He was baffled at the response he received from the ducklings that were following him all this time. Only when he finished sorting his thoughts to a certain extent did Liam open his mouth once again, "First of all, I''m not a Demon! I''m half human and half Devil¡­and second¡­just do whatever you want. If you die, it''s not my fault, remember that!" Even after he tried his utmost to push the students away, nothing seemed to work out. That was frustrating in one way but also confusing in a certain sense. From his perspective, the students were better off further away from him. They shouldn''t be close to him if they wanted to survive a little longer. However, it was almost as if they had glued themselves to him and would follow him through the Nine Realms if they could. The determination in their eyes told Liam that they would follow him, now with even more conviction than before! ''Did they really just ept that I''m their enemy? And they still want to follow me, even more than before at that?'' Liam thought, not able toprehend the logic there. ''Well, it''s not like I initiated the Arcane Apocalypse or that I want to be in Haltan, in the first ce¡­but¡­well whatever¡­'' Liam felt a bad headache creeping up and he chose to change the topic. It was not exactly helpful to keep questioning what was going on right now since nobody could understand how he was currently feeling, including himself. He was not sure what he was feeling right now or how he was supposed to feel either. Should he be relieved that someone didn''t push him away for being a Halfling, or was he supposed to be even more vignt of the natives around him? Would he subconsciously lower his guard around the students just because they didn''t seem to be more afraid of him now that he revealed his identity, or would he subconsciously be even more wary of their gazes? It was weird that they thought he was handsome, and that he looked cool rather than frightening, or that he was not a disgusting existence since he was the breed of a Devil and a Human. This new feeling that emerged from the depths of his subconsciousness was certainly not bad, but Liam didn''t like new feelings since their influence was the least predictable. "Let''s put aside all this chaos and pay more attention to the current situation," Olivia interrupted all of a sudden. She was still a little bit baffled that nobody but her could immediately tell that Liam was way too familiar with the Arcane System, Soultraits, fighting, and the detailed information he had since the Arcane Apocalypse started. Not many were supposed to have it, however, it was even more obvious to her that Liam was overwhelmed with the reaction he received from them. Even if she couldn''t fathom how his life must have been, Olivia had often read about Devils and Humans in novels, animes and other means of entertainment. If the reality was simr to the things she knew from those shows and novels, Devils and Humans were supposed to hate each other to the core. Liam''s reaction was more than enough to show that he had never actually been epted for who he was, which meant that he had nned to use his revtion to push them away. Olivia didn''t like the way Liam was handling the current situation, thus she chose to take over as long as she was given the opportunity. "You wanted to search for more survivors and move them all to the gymnasium, right?" She asked Liam who nodded his head in response. He was still a little bit bbergasted but Olivia''s nonchnt attitude allowed him to pull himself together much faster than he would have been able to without her. "As everyone can tell by now, I don''t know anything about this ce. Is this some sort of an Academic City, or did I just identally run into this treasure trove?" Liam asked, which caused Olivia and the others to tilt their head. "Treasure Trove?" Rex asked, wondering if Liam had somehow mimunicated what he actually wanted to convey. "Ignore that¡­how many students are usually in the library, and the different University buildings? Are there any other ces where many people could safely hide from the rats, Meheks, and other monsters?" Liam asked while knowing sure damn well that he sounded like an amateurish idiot who had recently be a hunter. His mind was in a weird state where he couldn''t gather a straight thought, yet, be able to understand that he ended up bbering something that made sense and at the same time sounded weirdly stupid. "We have the biggest library in the entire valley. In fact, the entire city is considered a gold mine of information and knowledge for students. As for the hospital, it is also pretty close and you should find more survivors inside there. After all, there are only a few hundred students in the library all the time while there are thousands of people in the hospital every single day," Kian exined shortly without minding Liam''s current behavior. The way Liam behaved right now made him feel much closer to the students than before. He was more humane rather than a killer machine without emotions. "Hm¡­alright then," Liam nodded his head which caused Kian and the others to look at him with expectations. "Where are we going?" Kian asked while turning his entire body in the direction of the hospital, just for Liam to start smiling lightly. "The library, of course!" Chapter 36 Everyone Dead? ?While Liam and the small group of students paved their way through the deste streets of the university campus that was adjacent to the gymnasium, a few students were lost in thought. The countless raindrops that poured down onto the ground were akin to the numerous thoughts and questions that shed through their minds only to disperse all over the ground, unanswered. "I thought we would go to the hospital since we will be able to find more people there¡­" He mumbled to Rex, who looked back at his friend with a wry smile. "Don''t look at me like that¡­I''m the stupid one here¡­" Rex tried to joke, but he ended up making a fool of himself. "The answer is pretty simple," Another student appeared next to Rex and Kian at this moment. He was slim, wore thick sses and he had a hard time properly wielding the steel spear that felt like a heavy iron hammer in his hands. Rex and Kian didn''t really like this ssmate, Ludwig, because he was full of himself. Ludwig was intelligent and he had great prospects to be epted in the country''s most privileged university. There were even rumors about him receiving schrship offers from variouspanies who wanted to fund him during his time as a student. However, he ended up rejecting all of the ludicrous offers because he earned more than enough money from stock trading, which fueled his arrogance only further. Nheless, Rex and Kian didn''t say anything. They remained silent and waited for Ludwig to say something. "The hospital is, obviously, a ce where patients are treated. Most are ill, old or crippled, including some who are missing a limb or two, or hit their heads hard when they were still young. Only a few will be able to fend for themselves in the hospital, which means that even if Liam finds some survivors now that almost 24 hours passed, they won''t be of any use. No matter how powerful Liam is, or what kind of tricks he has up his sleeve as a half Devil, he won''t be able to kill thousands of monsters all alone while taking care of helpless, desperate, and shocked survivors. The heavy downpour could be an advantage since it will be difficult for monsters to smell any scent in the open but it won''t even be possible to rush through the entire hospital before Liam, and even more so all of us, would end up as lifeless bodies lying in a puddle of our own blood!" Ludwig made it quite obvious that he didn''t think highly of Rex and Kian''s intelligence. The two boys squinted their eyes but they nodded their heads after a while. "I guess the library is a better ce then. There are only two big floors and a rooftop. I know a few idiots who were recently giving studying a try, they''ll definitely fight with their life on the line, no matter what," Kian mumbled after a few seconds of silence. He knew that his older cousin and a few of his friends chose to sell their gaming consoles to spend more time studying after they finished their daily training schedule. Their grades had taken a hit since they were trained and yed too much. Kian quickly followed Liam with faintly gleaming eyes. He was confident that Liam knew very well what he was doing, and was not going to change his n even if they had some suggestion, yet he had asked for their opinion since he was a little bit stupefied about their reaction when he unmasked himself. Unfortunately, Kian was thinking too highly of Liam. Liam''s mind was flooded with sudden doubts since he had received an unexpected reaction from the natives. He was also not sure where he was going or what would actually await him. There hadn''t been a map of the city in the gymnasium and he couldn''t really ask anyone about everything he had wanted to know until now. It had been more important to hide his identity, after all! While they were on their way to the library, they didn''t encounter a lot of monsters. They evaded the most crowded areas and created a rather secure way to the impressive structure of the library. Liam had expected a lot when he heard about the library but it was a great looker, for sure. The library was of rectangr shape and adorned withrge ss windows that let in plenty of light, usually. Right now it was raining cats and dogs, and it was already a wonder that they could see everything in their surrounding area quite clearly. The exterior of the library was made of brick and stone. There were also several wooden pirs that supported the entire structure. As Liam and the students approached the library''s entrance they found shards of broken ss as far as they could see. "...blood," A quiet voice said all of a sudden, and it was no sooner that everyone''s head turned to the right where they saw some brokenrge ss windows and the blood of monsters sticking to the jagged corners of the broken ss that had been left behind as they had stormed inside the library. Liam ignored the blood. He rather focused on the situation around him, where a handful of corpses were unveiled to him. As he stepped through the wide-open, arced entrance gate of the library, he and the others were greeted by those corpses. The walls of the library were lined with shelves upon shelves of books, followed up byfortable reading nooks scattered throughout the space. Most corpses on the first floor were near those nooks, which allowed everyone to urately guess what had happened there. The students behind Liam suppressed their screams and tried to hide their shock at the sight of the mangled, mutted, and half-eaten corpses. "Isn''t it too quiet?" Olivia asked once they had passed halfway through the library''s first floor. Liam nodded his head and prepared himself to fight monsters that would jump at him from his blind spots. However, nothing like that happened, which turned the quiet and studious atmosphere in the library into something even more fearsome. ''Is everyone dead?'' Chapter 37 Ending The Suffering ?''Is everyone dead?'' Liam wondered the longer he was surrounded by the all too familiar, studious, and quiet atmosphere of the library. It was a little bit ominous since there were a few corpses everywhere but Liam couldn''t see any monsters on the first floor. The only corpses were of humans as well. ''Were the monster corpses stored away, or devoured by something bigger?'' There weren''t many clues about the disappearance of the monsters that had charged inside the library or the hundreds of students and other people who were said to be inside the library at any time of the day. "Even if some rof them managed to run out of the library, there should be more corpses, or living people preferably," Liam mumbled mostly to himself but Olivia and the others agreed. "Maybe there are some on the second floor or the roofto¨C..." Kian began but stopped abruptly when screams of terror resounded from above them all of a sudden. "ARGHhhhhhhh¡­help meee!!!" The shrill cry of a woman bounced off the walls of the library, sending a shiver down everyone''s spine. Their heads turned upward as if it was possible to look through the ceiling and see what was going on the second floor. As Liam and the others looked upward, he saw something from the corner of his eye. Turning his head to his left, he saw something falling to the ground outside the library. A loud scream was followed by a sickening thud as the body copsed on the ground. That answered most of his questions almost instantaneously. "Looks like they''re on the rooftop, with some monsters," He said, averting his gaze from the writhing body of a middle-aged woman and three Meheks that were feasting on her flesh. She was still moving and alive but the injuries were already too great to do something. The Meheks ws were already deep inside the flesh of the woman. Somehow, the flesh of the woman looked a little bit weird, almost as if the Meheks had used their weight to pull the woman''s flesh from her bones. Liam could only guess that the Meheks attacked the woman and that they used their weight to push her down the rooftop of the library. He didn''t really know the truth nor he had any intention of figuring it out since it would do him little good. "Shouldn''t we help her?" Rex asked uneasily, readying his spear to help the writhing woman when Liam moved over to therge hole in the ss window before his hand moved rapidly, sending four ck glowing needles into the head of the woman and the three Meheks. He had used his full force to attack the three Meheks and the woman but he couldn''t be sure if that would be enough to kill them. After all, he had yet to test the lethality of the poison within the ck Tarthear Needles. From his little knowledge of poison, the ck Tarthear Needles had a lethal ingredient that paralyzed its opponents and corroded their bodies. The more Arcane Power used the higher the potency of the needles'' poison would be until it would reach a degree where even the wielder might face difficulties if the ck Tarthear Needles woulde in contact with his skin. Of course, there were limits to how much the poison of the ck Tarthear Needle could be enhanced but that shouldn''t be an issue for now. He rushed to the staircase of the library''s first floor after throwing the needles at his designated targets, leaving behind the students who stared at the monsters and the writhing woman for a few more seconds. "Did he just kill her?" A sudden voice of a terrified student asked, his voice trembling in fright as he saw that the woman had stopped moving altogether. His body stiffened while the Meheks continued to eat her flesh for a second or two until they copsed as well. "She was already dead, basically. He saved her from unnecessary suffering," Olivia corrected him before she followed Liam as well. The other students began to tremble, swallowed their saliva, or suppressed the emotions that erupted all of a sudden at the sight of the woman who had just been eaten alive by vicious monsters. They could not look away from the grotesque sight of her mangled, half-eaten body and it took them a few seconds before they followed Liam. The library had two floors with the upper level featuring a balcony. The shelves on the second floor were filled with more detailed, specialized texts and rare books. As for the rooftop of the library, it had been converted into a caf¨¦, offering peaceful space and some respite after some long and lonely hours of studying. After Liam began to run, he found himself quickly reaching the second floor where he found a few Meheks feeding on dead bodies. The corpses belonged to both their brethren, and humans which caused him to frown deeply. ''Didn''t know that they were cannibalists¡­you learn something new every single day¡­'' He thought just before he received a notification. [+1.5 Arcanium] It was obvious that the notification was because of the woman whom he had killed at the end. He received the full contribution for her kill, which was rather weird but before he could mull over it further three more notifications appeared in front of him. [+0.15 Arcanium] [+0.15 Arcanium] [+0.15 Arcanium] The moment he knew how much he could gain from killing the Meheks, both of his hands reached out to the Casket of Trickery. He retrieved a few ck Tarthear Needles and threw them at the ordinary Meheks that were feeding on the bodies of their brethren and humans alike. The gains he made from every thrown needle were more than the costs of the needle. Thus, it was only logical that he killed the monsters that were in his way, not only for himself but also to make sure that the rest of the students could retreat once the trouble on the rooftop was taken care of. However, that was easier said than done because it took Liam only a few seconds to throw more than twenty ck Tarthear Needles and to get to the rooftop where an interesting sight was unveiled to him. "Oh shit¡­" ** If you want to support me use your golden tickets and powerstones. You can also visit my pa treon: Pa treon/HideousGrain More character images and nice chats about the HideVerse: https://discord.gg/EdsDgFVWwZ Link also in my description. Do you like it? Leave a review and add it to the library! Chapter 38 Ferocious Warrior ?What unveiled itself in front of Liam when he arrived on the rooftop were more than a hundred Meheks. There were a few Ordinary Meheks but most of them were either Agile Meheks or Heavy Meheks. They had a precise attack pattern that allowed them to instill fear into their opponents and to make use of that fear in a long hunting process, feeding on their fear and toying with them until their prey grew exhausted. Usually, Meheks would inflict a few wounds on their opponents before pushing them into the corner. The more desperate their prey became the easier it was to hunt them. Emotions such as fear and desperation would inevitably lead to mistakes, and that was exactly what the Meheks exploited to the fullest. They would slowly bleed out their opponent, drain it of its vigor and fighting spirit until the perfect opportunity for a final blow unveiled itself in front of them. Liam had already figured that such an opportunity had appeared when they had attacked the woman, pushing her from the rooftop in a suicidal manner. The same tactic was applied to a few more injured men and women who were attacked by Ordinary Meheks that dug their ws into the humans'' flesh to hook themselves onto their prey before mercilessly dragging them down to the ground alongwith themselves. The Meheks wouldn''t die from a fall of ten meters since they were said to have simr traits to cats when it came to falling from great heights. But witnessing the suicidal tactics of the Meheks was not the most surprising to Liam. He found it more interesting to see that more than two dozen people were in possession of weapons which they wielded rather clumsily. ''Quick actions when ites to assessing the situation but no realbat experience with weapons¡­that''s better than expected!'' Liam thought while recalling that the students behind him would have been dead if not for him helping them out. Olivia and the others had grown tough skin and may be quite useful by now but the people that were fending for themselves for almost a day and still alive, without having received any help at that, were even more intriguing to him. The two dozenbatants were doing their utmost to protect the people behind them, which was also something Liam regarded highly. If he was in their position, the deadweight would have been abandoned a long time ago. Fortunately, he was not in their situation, which meant that he could give them a helping hand and further reinsure that the gymnasium would gain more usefulbatants to protect everyone. Liam''s hands reached for the Casket of Trickery and he retrieved a handful of ck Tarthear Needles at once while not taking his eyes off the situation even for a second. Not many had noticed that Liam had arrived on the rooftop. Those who were still able to fight were desperately trying to stall more time and to turn the tides of the battle, even if they had no idea how to do so. Meanwhile, the other people were shivering in fright, tending to their wounds and trying to figure out how to escape their tricky situation. None of them dared utter a sound as they did not want the monsters to be attracted by the noises and lunge at them. Meheks seemed to have an acute sense of hearing and would violently pounce in the direction of the noises around them, which was also the cause of death for most humans on the second floor. They screamed too much, disturbing the rhythm of the hunting process of the Meheks that began scattering in search of prey all over the floor. Liam took note of all of this, but it was not as if he was too bothered when it came to fighting a hundred Meheks. He knew that Olivia, Rex and Kian had already arrived behind him, shortly followed by the remaining dozen students, and he forced them to join the battle against the Meheks by charging ahead. He triggered his Soultrait while his feet sshed in the water that had umted on the t surface of the rooftop before throwing the ck needles toward his opponents. His storage for Arcane Power wasrge even though his statusbeled his Arcane Power merely as [E]. That was closely rted to his heritage and it was something Liam didn''t hesitate to abuse. He retrieved several more ck Tarthear Needles in the blink of an eye and threw them at the Meheks that had yet to turn their heads toward him. The Agile Meheks were the fastest to react. They turned in his direction and charged at him without a trace of hesitation. Liam expected this but he didn''t stop his advance in the slightest. On the contrary, he pushed forward and elerated further while circting more Arcane Power through his arms. The speed with which he moved his arms elerated and it was possible for him to release a third batch of ck Tarthear Needles before he was forced to face the Agile Meheks head-on. More than a dozen notifications had already popped up in the corner of his eyes but he ignored them skilfully as his hands reshaped themselves into ws. He twisted his body the moment his Devil''s Eyes perceived a subtle change in the trajectory of the closest Agile Mehek and pierced out with his w while evading the attack of the monster that was much faster than him. [Agile Mehek has been yed.] [+0.22 Arcanium] Liam analyzed the movement pattern of the Agile Meheks that followed up with more attacks and he evaded them smoothly with his flexible body and an urate prediction of his opponents'' movements. His eyes that looked like sealed gxies seemed to know everything, yet the Agile Meheks didn''t seem to realize that. Their wild instincts didn''t re a warning signal at them despite facing the terrific monster whose ws pierced through their brethren''s hearts and throats, shredding their bodies like a piece of fabric. Thus, Liam left behind a trail of blood and corpses as he closed in on his opponents. He continued attacking relentlessly and it was only a matter of minutes before he ended up in the midst of the Meheks, attacked from all directions, causing desperation in the minds of the monsters who had tortured the students in the library for thest 24 hours. Meanwhile, the flood of notifications in the corner of his eyes kept expanding just like the hope of the desperate men and women seemed to increase exponentially at the arrival of the ferocious warrior, who tore apart his opponents as if they were made of tofu. Chapter 39 The Good Guy ?[+0.22 Arcanium] [+0.22 Arcanium] [+0.15 Arcanium] [+0.3 Arcanium] [+0.15 Arcanium] [+0.3 Arcanium] ¡­ ¡­ [Arcanium: 15.45] Liam didn''t look at all the notifications but instead, he nced at his total Arcanium. The result was quite pleasant even if it was nothing unexpected. He killed more than half of the Meheks group by himself while his little ducklings killed the rest. As for the other people who had defended themselves for more than 20 hours, only one or two had been able to stand up for themselves and fight. One of the fighters used his Soultrait to summon the winds and createdpressed wind des. He killed two Meheks before he slumped to the ground, overly exhausted. Liam didn''t pay much attention to the group of humans after the fight ended. And, instead of secretly transforming his ws back into his hands, Liam expelled some Arcane Power from his hands in the process. His hands began to glow weakly as they transformed back which drew lots of attention toward him. Many stared at him but Liam didn''t mind them. He smiled at their dumbfounded expressions before he went his way. "It''s cold out here. Let''s go inside." Liam said loudly enough for everyone to hear as he went inside the caf¨¦ to take a look at the products used by the natives of this world. After fighting for all the time, Liam was ready to rx and enjoy himself a little. That was something he had never been able to do in the past since he was hunted wherever his identity was exposed. He felt a little bit better than earlier, which was partially thanks to the Dracoli Cookies'' that provided him with a boost of vitality. The vitality fixed the little wear and tear that had urred inside his body and it allowed him to be much stronger without any increase in his stats. It fixed his body''s issues without Liam being aware that he had such issues, to begin with. Other than the cookies, he was wondering whether his ducklings'' attitude toward him had changed or not. At the first nce, nobody seemed to have changed, but Liam had learned to never trust his first impression of anything or anyone. He had a few encounters with people whom he trusted just to escape death by a hair''s breadth after they betrayed him the moment they found out about his origin. Liam wanted to use the opportunity to slowly find out whether the students following him had changed their attitude towards him or not. A subconscious change in their attitude would already be enough for Liam to determine their fears and worries. Thus, he entered the caf¨¦ where he encountered two Heavy Meheks. That was a little surprising but Liam moved aside when they pounced at him. He kicked one of the two Heavy Meheks with all his might while his right hand moved to the Casket of Trickery. With a swift motion, he spun around himself, retrieved two ck Tarthear Needles, and released them at once. The needles pierced through the fur of the two Heavy Meheks before they began kicking once again while Liam was still in his full momentum. He dashed forward as the Heavy Meheks'' faced the repercussions of their failed attack and grasped the neck of the closest opponent first. His left hand shot out to the Heavy Mehek''s throat which he tore out in an instant. The tips of his fingers looked sharper than before as warm blood streamed down his left hand. However, Liam didn''t even take note of that as he threw the dying body of the Heavy Mehek at his brethren whom he pounced at afterward, gouging its eyes out with a single movement before he eliminated the monster by breaking its neck with a snap. [Heavy Mehek has been yed] [+0.3 Arcanium] [Heavy Mehek has been yed] [+0.3 Arcanium] Liam''s eyes glowed as he looked at the bloody scenario in front of him but he quickly regained his senses when he heard the natives behind him gasping for air. Clearing his throat, he tried to brush off the entire incident with a foolish smile as he turned around. "They surprised me a little¡­" Liam was a bad liar and an even worse actor. Thus, his attempt to trick the natives failed miserably. He was looked at with wide eyes and it was only when Olivia, Rex, Ludwig, Kian, and the other students entered the caf¨¦ one after another that the atmosphere in the room changed slowly. "I will take a quick look around to make sure that no more surprises await us," Olivia said nonchntly as if Liam''s actions were perfectly normal. At the same time, Kian cleared his throat before he pointed at the counter. "I can make some coffee as long as the electricity hasn''t been cut off yet," He offered while trying hard to hide the difort he felt from standing close to the disfigured bodies of the two Heavy Meheks. It was iprehensible for Kian how Liam turned two ferocious Heavy Meheks into dead corpses that looked like¡­this when he didn''t even use his ws. With his ws, Liam was certainly stronger but it was also quite obvious that he was a war veteran, someone who had fought thousands of battles. Liam didn''t even look that much older than them, however, it was obvious that his life had beenpletely different from theirs. Not even a surprise attack from two rather powerful monsters had been enough to inflict the faintest injury on Liam. Just how powerful was Liam actually? Rex took a deep breath, he picked up the two corpses and moved them outside before he told the others to go inside and take a break. His hands trembled a bit but he tried to divert everyone''s focus a little. "You guys did a great job surviving against the Meheks for so long. To think that you guys were able to act fast enough to buy weapons from the Arcane Shop and fight on your own, that''s quite remarkable!" Rex praised the men and women for their survival instincts, but nobody said anything in response. He was looked at weirdly before everyone''s gaze moved over to Liam who had followed Kian to take a look at the devices used on Earth. The smell of roasted coffee beans wafted through the air not long after and Liam''s eyes widened in surprise. For a moment, he looked like an airheaded dude, who had no idea about anything. However, it was exactly that airheaded dude who killed dozens of Meheks with fierceness and an efficiency that could hardly be attained in a single day. "Aren''t you guys even more impressive? You were able to fight these weird monsters head-on, while we were barely able to survive¡­somehow¡­" A young man eximed all of a sudden, his eyes subconsciously ncing over to Liam every now and then. "Without him, we would be dead," Ludwigmented, agreeing with the young man. Even if he didn''t respect his ssmates, Ludwig knew that Liam was someone he needed to be stronger. No matter who or what Liam was, he helped them, and he allowed them to learn how to fend for themselves. "He might act and sound harsh every now and then but he is a good guy. At the end of the day, he chose to search for more people to help and we''re just following him because we want to get stronger without facing the dangers outside by ourselves¡­" Chapter 40 Greed ?Liam didn''t give the praises or the awestruck gazes showered upon him much thought. He ignored them and focused on the situation and the next course of action. There were a few particr issues when it came to the natives they had rescued. Amongst those issues was the evident exhaustion everyone disyed quite clearly. Nobody was unscathed and there were a few young men and women who could barely be tended to with normal means and the usage of a Soultrait that temporarily stopped the internal and external bleeding of the lethally injured. Only a few were able to use their Soultrait, and Liam had helped a few more survivors by giving them a few advice to make sure that most natives would be able to return to the gymnasium, alive. Liam was frowned upon by many because he didn''t help everyone to learn more about their Soultraits but that had a valid reason. Not only did he sense some hostility and suspicious nces from several natives, but his eyes were suddenly itching as well. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn''t think that it was odd for his eyes to feel itchy every now and then but he couldn''t get his head around it. Something was different than before, and he knew that he should be seeing something, only to fail miserably. It didn''t make any sense, which was exactly what Liam was careful about when it came to teaching others. He wanted to make sure that he would be able to stay alive by all means. "Let''s leave now as I believe everyone had some rest." Liam said before he left the caf¨¦ without a backward nce. The students grasped their steel spears instinctively and rushed behind Liam into the rain. They followed him without any hesitation, leaving behind the exhausted people who had hoped to be able to rest for a few more hours. Only one student halted in his tracks when he was about to rush into the heavy rain. He looked back at the dozens of people and smiled lightly. "We are going back to the gymnasium, probably. Our hideout is there and it''s well protected. If you guys want to rest, do it there. Liam is not the type of person, who waits for others!" Once the student finished his advice, he rushed toward the door that led to the second floor of the library. The exhausted people in the caf¨¦ looked at each other and got up from their chairs when the others had gotten up as well. Nobody was able to fend for themselves, and all of them were exhausted. Liam and his group grabbed the only chance of survival they were given, and they didn''t want to miss out on it. With fast strides, they followed Liam and they found themselves pacing through the University campus less than ten minutester. Liam was still not certain about the structure oryout of the entire city, but his memories were good enough to retrace the paths they had walked through earlier to reach the library. ''I expected to get a few hundred natives¡­though, it might be a fortune to have found that many.'' He felt how his greed resurfaced and smiled to himself. He wanted to save thousands of natives as to get his hand on the best possible rewards in the customized mission. However, even if he wouldn''t be able to save that many Natives, it was not as if his mission would be a catastrophic failure. The sess of his mission was all that mattered, yet, Liam wanted to get his hands on everything. This greedy side was not at all surprising for Liam but it was bad timing for it to surface in his mind. After all, it was better to save a few people rather than none at all. There were dozens of exhausted natives behind him, so he shouldn''tin about it. Fewer people behind him meant also that he had fewer troublemakers to take care of, whether they invited trouble by being assholes, deadweights, or just in idiots. However, even though there were fewer troublemakers than he expected to bring back to the gymnasium, it took them close to three hours to safely retreat to the main entrance of the gymnasium, more than four times longer than their way to the library took. Fortunately, none of the exhausted natives died on their way back, which was a great sess even if Liam had secretly reconsidered charging through the crowded areas to reach the gymnasium faster, no matter how many casualties they would have to suffer. Now that they were about to reach the gymnasium, Liam dispelled this thought. There weren''t any crowded areas to charge through anymore. The only hurdle left was the tiny battlefield in front of the gymnasiun''s main entrance. More than a hundred corpses of Meheks and rats were scattered all over the za in front of the gymnasium''s main entrance, with only a dozen monsters alive and still fighting. An Elite Ratatuo had sumbed to the countless injuries all over its body. The monster''s flesh was ripped apart by more than a dozen Meheks who had diverted their focus to the other Elite Ratatuo. Two dozen Meheks fought valiantly against thest survivor of the rat''s side. They pushed the Elite Ratatuo down to the ground and were just about to end the monsters'' life when a handful of Meheks stopped moving all of a sudden. Some Meheks drilled their ws deep inside the Elite Ratatuo, while the others were trying to find the perpetrator of the sudden attack. But by the time they found the perpetrator, it was already toote. Their bodies went numb and it was bing increasingly difficult for them to move around. And they stopped moving altogether as a snow-white figure with gxies sealed inside his royal purple eyes emerged in front of them. Liam dashed through the horde, moved through his opponents swiftly and he eliminated more than a dozen opponents in a single breath. Having been affected by the ck Tarthear Needles'' poison, none of the Meheks was able to go up against him anymore. That was how Liam reached thest few Meheks whose ws were drilled deep inside the Elite Ratatuo that screeched out in pain. A faint smile could be seen on Liam''s face as he pierced out with his ws, ready to end the lives of the monsters in front of him. However, it was just at this moment that something behind him changed all of a sudden. Several wind des shot past his arms, legs, and his head, grazing him before they cut inside the monsters, ending their misery before Liam could do so. "I did it, yes!!" An excited voice resounded from behind, followed by an eerie silence that seemed to muffle even the sound of the heavy rain around them. Liam took a deep breath before he lifted himself up. His left hand reached out for the right side of his neck. He felt a stinging pain from two light cuts at his arms, legs, and the side of his head. However, the wound that attracted his attention the most was the cut on his neck. Liam looked at the dark red blood that trickled down his neck as he turned his head back to the natives who were supposed to be grateful to him. However, none of that mattered to Liam anymore as his ice-cold eyes stared down at the exhausted natives like they were nothing but dead meat to him. His ck devil mask had been damaged, it crumbled and fell down to the ground. At this moment, the only sound one could hear from the background was Rex cursing out quietly. "Fuck¡­" Chapter 41 Fear ?The gleam in Liam''s eyes was enough to cause his ducklings to take a step back. Their eyes quivered and their minds rattled as they saw the blood that trickled down the side of his head, neck, and his limbs. Liam''s wounds were shallow but that was not something he could be bothered about as of this moment. He had been attacked, that was all that mattered! His eyes darted to the young man who went into hiding the moment the atmosphere tensed up. The Natives who received Liam''s re moved aside, instinctively understanding that their obstruction could be deemed as a revolt against him. Their faces were drained of all their blood, and all they could do was stare into nothingness. They were unable toprehend what had just happened and what was going to happen. The only thing theyprehended properly was that something big was about to happen¡­After all, Liam''s true identity had just been exposed in front of them. Liam heard the murmurs around him but he paid them no heed. His entire focus remained on the skinny, young man with the Soultrait to control and summon the winds. "O-Oops¡­" The young man said while enduring the pressure a simple, yet, cold stare from Liam could cause as he shivered. No apology followed the word issued by the young man. But it was not as if Liam expected anything grand from the young man, to begin with. He had heard the insincere words of the young man for the first time already. Thus, he took a step forward, while the purple haze in his eyes intensified. The young man twitched and shuddered under the intense gaze that held him in ce. "I didn''t mean to kill you. You were just in my way¡­" He struggled to speak and didn''t even realize what words had inadvertently escaped his lips. Liam nearlyughed out loud at the ridiculous excuse the young man gave for his actions. However, he was already too agitated to let it slide. Nobody could dare call him an obstacle, let alone injure him knowing that he had already worked his butt off to save their pitiful lives! But even before Liam was able to lunge forward and rip out the young man''s throat, a steel spear shot through the air. The spear had been released with a terrific velocity and it found its target in the stomach of the young man. His eyes widened in shock, disbelief, and terror making him stutter as a violent bolt of pain went straight to his head. The young man coughed up blood and his vision blurred, but the woman who had hurled the spear at him didn''t even cast a pitiful look at him as she stepped closer to him. Her eyes were filled with warmth like the summer but her actions were cold and without any mercy. She stopped in front of the young man, grasped the shaft of the steel spear, and twisted it before she pulled the spear de out. The young man was unable to gather the strength to remain standing and he copsed on the ground where a puddle of blood formed in a matter of seconds. The blood-colored the puddles of water red, while muffled screams of various women rang throughout the entire za. Liam looked at the woman who was staring back at him without a trace of hesitation and narrowed her eyes. He knew that the woman was Felicia Jaul, one of Olivia''s friends and ssmates. Felicia had been with them for the entire trip, but even though she had managed to survive everything until now, she didn''t seem special. That was until now, of course. Liam observed her for the first time and saw a woman with a warm expression. Her amber eyes seemed to exude gentleness. Her shoulder long hair, the color of hazelnuts, was wet and stered to her body, just like the familiar student uniform that was worn by all of Liam''s ducklings. The outlines of her charming physique were hinted through the clothes that were clinging to her tightly. Felicia stood in the middle of the young man''s puddle of blood but she didn''t seem to mind that as a faint smile blossomed on her face when she noticed the attention she received from Liam. She winked at him, ignoring the bleak scene around her. "Is that your real personality?" Liam asked whimsically, momentarily forgetting about the dead body and the fact that he hadn''t been able to get the revenge he deserved. "I don''t know what you''re talking about," Felicia said, giving him a shrug while continuing to smile at him. "He nearly killed you just to get some Arcanium. Who knows what he would have done inside the gymnasium? It would be horrifying if he were to find out that humans provide much more Arcanium than one may think!?!" Liam furrowed his eyebrows when he heard Felicia''s reason for taking a life of one of her own. Her words and actions made it look like she knew exactly what she was doing. However, that was theplete opposite of her first reaction at the sight of mere Ordinary Huge Rats. Liam figured that Felicia had changed quite a lotpared to the previous day. She adapted fast, which was a good thing, but Liam didn''t ignore the fact that Felicia could kill the young man without hesitation. There was not an ounce of guilt in her words, actions, or attitude. It was almost as if she epted that murdering him was for the greater good. Liam looked at the body of the young man for a moment and he started to contemte. He would have killed the young man as well, so there would not have been a change in the oue, except that it was not him who killed the young man but Felicia, one of his ducklings. The reactions Felicia received after her merciless murder were mixed. She was frowned upon far more than anyone dared to do with Liam, and they were more vocal about it. They may be upset to see how mercilessly she killed a fellow human, seemingly without reason at that, yet, none of the neers dared to frown upon Liam. His re was enough to forcefully shut their mouth and his appearance, without his mask, made clear that he was not from this world either. ''What the hell have we gotten ourselves into!?!'' The neers wondered, stiffening when they heard Liam sighing deeply. "Let''s go inside¡­" Chapter 42 Anger ?Liam was pretty sure that the natives from the library weren''t in a condition where they could scream out loud and run away from him. Felicia might be considered the merciless murderer but Liam was the foreign being with eyes that looked like gxies had been sealed inside them, a ck horn that was jutting out of his forehead, and ws that tore through his opponents'' fur and flesh as if they were made out of warm butter. Everyone''s eyes were either on him, Felicia, or the dead body of the young man whose attacks had endangered Liam''s life. This was something Liam noticed quite clearly but he had already epted the given situation. He had been prepared for it, either way. With a calm mind, and a clear recollection of how the natives would act when seeing him and being around him imprinted on his mind, Liam entered the gymnasium through the main entrance. He was not wearing the ck devil mask anymore since it had broken before but Liam acted as if everything was normal. Two younger men were guarding the main entrance from the inside. They knew Liam from the day before and didn''t even realize that he wasn''t wearing his mask. It took them a few seconds before they paled and their eyes widened in shock. Liam had already walked past them by then, entering the hall where a few more natives were guarding the entrance. ''Felix and his people are doing a pretty decent job guarding the gym. Seems like there won''t be an issue when I leave,'' He thought, feeling somewhat satisfied. Liam was still trying to control his anger since Felicia had robbed him of the chance to take it out on the young man whom she had killed. He felt a little bit frustrated, especially about the anger that didn''t subside but he tried not to show it right now. It took most natives a while to realize that Liam wasn''t wearing his mask anymore, but when the first few realized Liam''s missing mask and that he was definitely not human, the news spread through the hall like wildfire. Several women screamed out instinctively. Their voices reverberated through the entire hall, rming everyone whose attention moved over to Liam subconsciously. Upon noticing Liam''s true appearance, Felix and the others stared nkly at him at first. They had been taken by surprise and required a few seconds before their mindsprehended what was actually going on. Meanwhile, the screams filled with horror continued to resound in the hall. Liam''s frustration was further amplified by the screams that seemed to never quiet down. His head flicked to the left where a few women were still screaming. He triggered the Devil''s Eyes and his expression changed ever so slightly. In response to his simple reaction to the screams, the women turned quiet in an instant. Almost everyone in the hall was aware of what Liam was capable of. They had witnessed it and thest thing they wanted to happen was to experience what Liam could do to them! Liam sensed a sudden shift in the atmosphere and he perceived a minuscule change in the Arcane Power''s currents flowing within the hall. His head turned back to Felix''s group and he was greeted with a fireball that shot straight at him. Liam nced behind him while his hand reached for the Casket of Trickery. His ducklings were still standing behind him, disying their unwavering loyalty and trust in him though his appearance had shocked them to the core Liam, however, felt the need to put some sense into them, but now was not the time to do that. His hand had already retrieved a ck Tarthear Needle which he threw at the fireball. The fireball exploded the moment it collided with the needle as its tip pricked the ball. For a quarter of a second, Liam was dazzled because his eyes were more sensitive than others when his Soultrait was triggered. However, that didn''t affect him a lot even though a native dashed through the explosion, shing at Liam with the intention to kill. Liam''s eyes turned even colder than before, his hands turned into ws in an instant and he pierced at the sword. The attack was forcefully halted as the scratching sound of the sharp tip of his ws nging against the metal echoed through the hall. A quarter of a secondter, Liam pierced out with his other w, shattering the Natives'' weapon without even breaking into a sweat. "Just fuck off, if you''re too weak to even scratch my ws!" Liam growled, spinning around his own axis before issuing a roundhouse kick that knocked out the young follower of Felix. For a moment, he reconsidered killing the follower, but he decided against it. His life was worth more than his death, even if it was a close call. If not for the customized mission, a bloodbath would have ensued by now. Liam looked at the people around him and he saw the fear in their eyes. It was a situation he was too familiar with, which was why he was not really affected by it. "That is how you guys were supposed to react when I revealed my appearance earlier," Liam said calmly as he turned around to his ducklings. Afterward, he turned to the shivering natives who were soaking wet and exhausted from trying to survive in the library for nearly an entire day. "Don''t act that weak, take some rest and fight for yourselves. Never expect someone to help you like I did," He suggested before turning back to the entrance he came from. "I will take my leave. There is no need for anyone to see me out. Survive, otherwise, I will kill y''all!" Once Liam finished issuing his threat, he stalked off. He strode outside the gymnasium with a straight back and not the slightest sign of him being worried that someone else would stupidly dare to attack him. But there was no need to worry because Liam could easily evade any kind of attack the moment he sensed that something was off. However, what he heard was not enough to turn around. There were only a few familiar noises that reached his ears. ''These idiots are not for real, are they?'' Chapter 43 Conviction ?Liam was eyed with apprehension when he left the gymnasium. He returned to the outside where the heavy downpour made everything around look hazy and bleak. Turning around knowing damn well which idiots had chosen to follow him like the ducklings they were, Liam sighed deeply. "We told you already before that we will be following you!" Rex mumbled while trying to make it seem as if he was overflowing with conviction and determination. Liam lifted his eyebrow while looking at Rex''sment and he shook his head. "And I said that you guys are idiots. So leave!" He said in a dismissive tone, waving his hand to push them away, just for nobody to move. Rex, Kian, Olivia, Felicia, Ludwig, and the woman who had nearly been raped, Jennie, were looking at him with determination in their eyes. Liam had expected some of them to follow him but he was a little surprised about Ludwig and Jennie''s decision to join the rest of his followers as well. Jennie shouldn''t trust him just because he rescued her from the rapists, while Ludwig was a smartass, who never wasted an opportunity to show off that he was intelligent. Ludwig was supposed to understand their current situation and that it was a lot more dangerous to be outside the gymnasium, and even more so to be around him. Any human would think of him as an invader of Haltan and an enemy of the human race. That was the truth since he came from another realm. "Following me means that you will have to kill other humans, which in turn will mean that the races of all realms will be your enemies. I was not epted anywhere and treated like an outcast, even in the ce I hail from. So leave before it''s toote!" Liam could just kill one of them to show that he was scary and not someone they could trust. However, he also recalled their first reaction when he had removed his mask. They weren''t scared and evenplimented him for his looks shortly after they found out what he actually was. This was actually something that had never happened before, and it was enough reason for him to be a bit wary about them. He didn''t care about the other natives but he didn''t want to needlessly kill the few natives who had followed him for thest 24 hours. But it was almost as if he was talking to a bunch of walls. He didn''t receive a response from the few ducklings who had chosen to follow him even if that meant that they had to leave the safety of the gymnasium. "You guys understand what it means to follow me?" Liam asked seriously, understanding that only killing them would prevent them from following him. Unfortunately, that was the only thing he couldn''t do to the natives, who had reacted as no sane human would upon finding out about his identity. "Our survivability will increase the longer we stay by your side," Kian said, pointing out the obvious. At least, it was obvious to him since they learned a lot about survival and strength from Liam during thest 24 hours. Maybe it would be a little dangerous in the next few weeks but their strength would increase rapidly. That would inevitably increase their chances of survival. "We will be constantly in danger no matter how strong we get. Only when we reach the peak will we be able to escape the strongest existences of the Nine Realms." Felicia said calmly with a gentle smile on her face as she looked at Liam. Her gaze made it seem as if she knew much more than the native human girl was supposed to know. Liam agreed to Felicia''s statement but the reason he had in mind was probably a lot different from Felicia''s expectations. He knew that his mother would hunt him down the moment he would start killing his siblings rather than the other way around. His siblings would start searching for him sooner orter because that was the task their mother had given them. It was a means to make sure that Liam would never ck off, a means to pressure him into always giving his best and reaching the limits of his potential as quickly as possible. Liam would never be able to understand his mother''s actions, let alone her reasoning, but that was not actually necessary toprehend her next moves as they were always about strengthening or removing the weakest link in her family. "You will probably die, all of you," Liam replied matter of factly, indicating he didn''t doubt his words in the slightest. He was certain that everyone was bound to die. And the confidence in his voice caused shivers to run down Rex''s spine, but he didn''t feel like backing off anymore. Rex didn''t like it when someone said something with a lot of conviction, just like Liam''s words, as if their fate had already been determined. "I don''t care. If I''m too weak to survive this shit, either way, let me give my best to ovee it the way I want. If I die, so be it!" Rex said, pushing out his chest proudly. The others nodded their heads, more or less simrly determined to make use of Liam''spany in order to be stronger. Liam could tell that the kids had their own reasoning for wanting to be stronger. Some may want to be stronger until they reached a certain point where they could fend for themselves before they would leave his side because they had other things to take care of, but none of that was Liam''s business. The few ducklings couldn''t be pushed away and he was unable to kill them due to personal reasons. Liam shook his head while looking at the few natives whose expressions began to change slowly. They looked at something behind him and their faces were slowly drained of their color. He turned around with his Soultrait triggered, prepared to deflect a surprise attack. However, what he saw was a big picture unfolding in front of him which caused Liam to stiffen for a moment as well. A horde of figures was slowly pacing through the streets of the university campus, their ragged and tattered clothing hanging off their emaciated bodies. There were human-like figures and various other beings that were clearly monsters. However, they all had two things inmon; they were dead and they were advancing in the same direction! As for their destination, it was either the gymnasium or something behind it. "Oh¡­fuck off¡­" Chapter 44 Event ?"Zombies? For real?" Olivia mumbled under her breath. She was baffled and neither Liam nor the others could avoid feeling just like her. They were taken aback and had gone a little numb at the sheer uncountable number of ragged figures with terrifying bodies slowly advancing toward them. Their skin was a sickly gray that stretched over their flesh and bones. Some had open wounds, gaping holes that revealed bits of muscle, flesh, and bone below. Their lifeless dead eyes were reddish in color and it looked like they were gazing at nothing as they paced forward. As the first zombies entered therge za in front of the gymnasium, their grunts and groans filled the air. The sound bounced off the buildings all around, further amplifying it and they carried the sensation of death and dread with it. They mindlessly lurched forward, drawn to the living they sensed in front of them. The ground beneath them was flooded with water and the heavy downpour hit them, masking the smell of decay and death that was supposed to hang heavy in the air. Liam who had his Devil''s Eyes Soultrait triggered could only sigh heavily at the sight that unfolded in front of him. He saw that some of the zombies had bits of flesh hanging down their mouths, providing clear evidence of their recentst meal. As the horde was slowly making its way through the za, the natives around Liam began to shudder. There were not only human-like zombies but also existences they had never seen before. They were somehow a cross between animals and humans that had turned into zombies and possessed the traits everyone knew from movies,ics, and games. It was just that they seemed to be mutations between different races and possibly even humans. Even Liam had a hard time figuring out what kind of existence some of those beings were. He could only tell one thing for sure; the situation was quickly spiraling out of control! As if the Arcane System wanted to remind him about the existence of his customized mission, Liam received a sudden notification that popped up in the form of an emerald holographic screen. However, he was not the only one who received this notification. Everyone inside the gymnasium and the few natives who had chosen to follow him received the exact same notification as Liam. [A Special Event has been created as the result of the living gathering within the Grande Gymnasium in the J Valley. Stop the Berserk gue from spreading! ¡ºObliterate the gue¡»¨CEvent Mission¨C ¡¸Description¡¹gued Monsters have infiltrated the Sera Hospital, expanding their numbers exponentially. Stop the deadly Berserk gue from spreading to reassure the continued survival of the inhabitants of Jura Valley and the native humans within the Grande Gymnasium. ¡¸Given task¡¹Survive 30 Minutes to fulfill the basic requirement of the mission. Annihte the gued Monsters¨C Arcanium will be rewarded ording ot the number of gued Monsters killed (Max. 5000 gued Monsters will be counted for the additional Arcanium) ¡¸Reward¡¹Survival, Weapon of Choice(ck Steel) ¡¸Possible additional Rewards¡¹ Customized GIft ording to the contribution!¡¹ Remark: The Berserk gue is not a normal Zombification Virus. Causes high blood pressure and increased adrenaline output in the body of the zombified being! Can be killed by beheading!] Liam stared nkly at the notification, and he couldn''t help but smile wryly. "This system is really¡­helpful." Others might feel desperate by looking at the Special Event, but Liam considered it an opportunity. He could clearly tell that the situation was in his favor. His mind was rattling and he knew that he could flee the moment things would get out of hands. However, running away was thest thing he had nned to do right now, specifically after he deduced the important pieces of information provided by the Arcane System. Most might be unable to figure out the information they were given by the notification of the Event Mission. Thus, it was fortunate that Liam was different. ''There are currently 5000 gued Monsters so I can receive an exceptional treasure by being the sole contributor in the annihtion of the gued Monster Army with my Arcanium. Furthermore, I was given clear instructions about the gued Monster''s weaknesses¡­how much more do I need to annihte them and to show these idiotic natives that I am too far ahead for them to catch up?!'' Liam''s smile was growing brighter the more he thought about it. It didn''t matter that gued Monsters could be killed by beheading them. This was a piece of information that had no actual use for him. To others, it might not be important to know that the gued Monsters had high blood pressure and an increased adrenaline output, but it was the most important for Liam. This piece of information was also the reason why he wanted to go all out, just to show the native kids that they were too weak inparison to him. And, of course, he wanted to make as many gains as possible since he had to protect the natives inside the gymnasium due to his customized mission, either way. "Let''s continue with our discussion a littleter?" Liam asked without a change of expression as he added, "I think it''s about time that I showed you what you guys will face while traveling with me!" He rushed forward and reached for his Casket of Trickery with both hands. In an instant, Liam retrieved more than ten ck Tarthear Needles from the Casket of Trickery. He triggered the needles'' effect by inserting Arcane Power inside them before he released them at the closest gued Monsters. There was no need to aim precisely, or to do anything special for his ck Tarthear Needles to hit their target. Exerting his full strength in the throw, the needles flew over fifty meters and they hid their target precisely. The gued Monsters that were hit by the ck Tarthear Needles slowed down in an instant. They blocked the path of the other gued Monsters, which drastically reduced the pace with which everyone moved toward him. However, Liam didn''t really pay much heed to that. His hands had returned to the Casket of Trickery, retrieving more than a dozen needles which he inserted with Arcane Power before he threw them at the gued Monster Army once again. The gued Monsters hit by his needles slowed down and the first set of notifications of their deaths appeared in the corner of his eyes. ''It''s not the best poison, but certainly good to use against those things!'' Chapter 45 Doom Of The Plague ?Liam''s Devil Eyes Soultrait was fully triggered even if it was not necessary for his ck Tarthear needles to hit their designated target. The gued Monsters pursued the closest source of life, resulting in their focus switching over to Liam. That was everything he needed to barge into the horde of gued Monsters like the madman he was as he continued to throw the ck Tarthear needles all around him. His Arcane Power was rapidly consumed but Liam didn''t even think about slowing down. On the contrary, he made sure that the ordinary gued Monsters would stop moving after being hit by the activated ck Tarthear needles before elerating his movements. He evaded the slow attacks of the Ordinary gued Monsters and witnessed their demise seconds after being hit by the needles he released rapidly. The Berserk gue increased the blood pressure and adrenaline that was released within the body of the gued Monsters by several times. That was also why gued Monsters were a little stronger than they had been before since the increased blood pressure and adrenaline output resulted in their Arcane Power going berserk. The fact that the gued Monster''s Arcane Power went berserk was also the reason behind the Berserk gue''s name. Berserk Arcane Power also amplified the effect of the poison infused within the metal used to manufacture the ck Tarthear needles. It was only obvious if one gave it some careful consideration but the effect of the ck Tarthear needles increased the more Arcane Power was inserted into the needles. By inserting as little Arcane Power as possible into the needles, Liam barely triggered their effects. However, that was more than enough to create a massive domino effect the moment the Berserk Arcane Power of the gued Monsters came in touch with the ck Tarthear Needles. The effect was horrifying and the final result was extremely destructive for the body of the gued Monsters as they were destined to end up dead, lying on the ground, the moment they would be hit by a single triggered ck Tarthear Needle. With every throw Liam ended up shooting a dozen ck Tarthear needles at his opponents, ending the misery of a dozen gued Monsters. That way, it didn''t even take him two minutes before his Arcane Power waspletely consumed and his remaining ck Tarthear needles werepletely used up. The result was devastating. Close to 500 corpses littered the ground while Liam had yet to be hit even once. As for the situation in front of the gymnasium, the native kids who had followed him before were nkly staring at the chaos caused by Liam. They had witnessed his fight, how he charged straight into the horde of 5000 gued Monsters, that he had attracted the attention of the horde and that countless gued Monsters had lost their lives at the hands of Liam. It was easy to tell that Liam used his needles to kill the opponents but none of the native kids could fathom how Liam moved so nimbly, and managed to evade every single of the iing attacks while simultaneously continuing to attack relentlessly without showing a sign of growing tired. Liam was sweating buckets but that was hard to notice in the heavy downpour. The heavy rain was used to his advantage, preventing the gued Monsters a bit further away to sense anyone but Liam. Even sensing Liam from several hundred meters was growing more and more difficult, let alone reaching him. He was surrounded by countless gued Monsters and all of them were trying to lunge at him to rip him into pieces. However, Liam was moving the mountain of corpses around him to jump over the gued Monsters and enter the deeper parts of the gued Monster horde. There was no need to be scared because everything was going ording to his n. Though suicidal, his n was foolproof and would provide him the additional reward of the Event Mission, the best possible customized gift provided that his contribution would be perfect! ''If you guys have any shame, don''t replicate my tactic!'' Liam shouted in his mind just before he removed the Casket of Trickery from his belt. Afterward, a small box filled with 500 ck Tarthear Needles materialized in his other hand. In the blink of an eye, the Casket of Trickery was filled once again. Liam reattached it to his belt behind his back before two vials filled with azure potions materialized in his hand. He moved quickly, unscrewed the lid of the vials, and downed the content with a single gulp. After he was done, Liam was ready to rumble once again. A whileter, arge part of his field of vision was flooded with notifications which Liam dispersed in an instant. [1x¡º500 ck Tarthear Needles (D Rank)¡»has been purchased. 45 Arcanium have been deducted!] 2x¡ºArcaniua Potion (D Rank)¡» have been purchased. 10 Arcanium have been deducted! [Ordinary gued Monster has been yed] [+0.1 Arcanium] [Ordinary gued Monster has been yed] [+0.1 Arcanium] [+0.1 Arcanium] [Mutated Ratica gue Monster has been yed] [+0.31 Arcanium] ¡­ [1x¡º500 ck Tarthear Needles (D Rank)¡»has been purchased 45 Arcanium have been deducted!] 2x¡ºArcaniua Potion (D Rank)¡» have been purchased. 10 Arcanium have been deducted! ¡­ [The Host is the first Entity to have yed 1000 gued Monsters since the Arcane Apocalypse has begun. Achievement¡ºDoom of the gue¡»has been attained. [+100 Arcanum have been rewarded!] While Liam continued to fight with his life on the line, the others didn''t want to stay idle either. Their bodies, which were frozen like stone statues at the sight of Liam''s suicidal actions, began to move once again. Felix and many other natives had left the gymnasium to take a look and see what exactly the Event Mission wanted from them. However, at the sight of the gued Monster horde, their previous motivation evaporated into thin air. They stared at Liam''s suicidal way of fighting and swallowed their saliva while their eyes widened at the same time. It was hard to acknowledge but Liam was definitely stronger than them. If he desired, he could have killed all of them rather than giving a helping hand and charging straight at the horde of gued Monsters, killing them like a desperate and angry wild beast. "I will go and help!" Chapter 46 Rewards ?After Olivia witnessed what Liam was doing, she purchased a batch of the ck Tarthear Needles as well. She had asked him about the name of the needles previously but hesitated purchasing them because they were quite expensive. Of course, their use was extremely high and Olivia was great with all weapons due to her Soultrait, Weaponry, but she could not magically learn how to wield a new weapon like a war veteran just because of her Soultrait. There were still existing limitations to the power of her Soultrait further marred by the physical limits of her body! She handed a bunch of ck Tarthear needles to Rex, Kian, and the others before she charged forward in an attempt to help out Liam. However, her attempt failed miserably. Not only was she barely of help but Olivia''s life was on the line as well. She was nearly bitten and scratched by dozens of gued Monsters when she was trying to fight in a simr way as Liam. Olivia had been certain that she could take down the monsters and fight as viciously as Liam was capable of, only to fail miserably at throwing multiple needles in a row. It was already torture to retrieve a single needle from the small box of needles, let alone to methodically inject them with bits of Arcane Power before throwing them at their opponents. The seemingly simple task of getting hold of a bunch of needles at a time turned into the most cumbersome job. It required Olivia''s entire focus and restricted herbat prowess drastically. The Casket of Trickery was in Liam''s possession, and Olivia began to understand why he would buy it. However, she didn''t know the name of the small distribution box Liam used and only knew of its existence. Filled with regret and a bit of sadness, Olivia tried her utmost to kill more gued Monsters by throwing the activated ck Tarthear needles at the opponents. She had to share the stash of 500 needles with others and used them up slowly. Her life was still in danger but the other native kids who had followed Liam had gone over to help as well. The six natives were not as efficient or skilled in the hunt as Liam but that was only obvious. Liam never expected the natives to help him, in the first ce. To his surprise, Felix and the rest had arrived outside as well. Most of them didn''t really feel like fighting the gued Monsters but they were curious about the situation outside. Thus, only a few dozen brave natives charged outside with their weapons unsheathed as they prepared themselves to earn a fortune while protecting the gymnasium. Liam didn''t really care whether they joined the battle or not. He continued to fight in his own way by spending a fortune to purchase more ck Tarthear needles and Arcaniua Potions. His eyes began to twitch after he fought for more than ten minutes and it was about time for him to deactivate the active effect of his Devil''s Eyes. There weren''t many gued Monsters anymore to kill, and those handful of beasts were not focusing on him either. The lifeforce of the dozens of natives attracted the gued Monsters'' attention, which gave him enough leeway to use stealth to sneak up on them and attack from behind. They had momentarily forgotten about him even though he had killed thousands of them and he did not waste that opportunity. Liam was not sure how long the battlested but he noticed the gazes he attracted once it was over. Everyone was sweating profusely but a thin smile blossomed on Felix''s face as he looked at the five thousand corpses of gued Monsters that would have destroyed the entire gymnasium if not for Liam''s help. Liam might have used some deceitful means to defeat the gued Monsters but that was thest thing bothering the natives. "Thank yo¡ª" Felix began before he was cut off by one of the people to his right. "You stole our prey, you fucking bastard!" While the voice of the young man in his 20s resounded through the za, Liam and his loyal ducklings looked over to figure out who that man was. Felix had a baffled expression on his face while looking at the young man as well, but he noticed that the young man was not alone. "Give us what belongs to us, you disgusting e¡­alien!!" A middle-aged woman screamed all of a sudden before many more curses followed suit. Liam listened to the curses but he didn''t say anything. He ignored them and smiled lightly as the rain finally started to slow down. The heavy downpour turned into a light drizzle before it dispersed slowly. Liam''s smile turned even wider when he realized that the rain had stopped, indicating thepletion of his customized mission and he nced over to see his notifications. [The Host''s Will increased.] [The Host''s Stamina increased.] [The Host''s Agility increased.] [The Host''s Arcane Power increased.] After he simply ignored all messages about the monsters he yed and the Arcanium he had obtained from their kills, he was left with less than ten notifications to go through. The four notifications that piqued his interest were directly rted to an increase in his stats. Liam didn''t expect his Will, Stamina and Agiltiy to increase once again, let alone his Arcane Power to advance to [E+] all of a sudden. ''Was it the constant use of Arcane Power in the battle?'' Liam wondered, making a mental note to further brainstorm on the theory that formed in his mind. When he was done, Liam averted his focus to the next set of notifications that attracted his interest. Reading through them was enough to make Liam feel a variety of emotions. [Event Mission ¡ºObliterate the gue¡»has beenpleted sessfully. Congrattions!] [Reward: Weapon of Choice(ck Steel) can be imed!] [316 Arcanium have been rewarded.] [Customized Gift to the Major Contributor(63.2%) can be imed!] He was happy about the rewards he had obtained but he couldn''t help but re at the people who were selfish enough to say that he stole their goods. "Next time, don''t do shit and stay in your fucking safe zone," Liam retorted before quietly adding, "Be happy that I am not interested in getting rid of trash like you guys now that I don''t have to protect any of you anymore!" There was no need for Liam to hold back anymore. He could kill the natives in the blink of an eye. After all, his customized mission was finallypleted as well!! Chapter 47 Rewards (2) ?The ordinary rewards he received from sessfullypleting the Event Mission were pretty low. He had killed more than three thousand gued Monsters by himself within 15 minutes, only to receive a mere 316 Arcanium. But of course, that was just an additional reward, something he wouldn''t have gotten if not for the Mission. The horde of gued Monsters had to be annihted, either way, since Liam''s customized mission required him to protect the natives inside the gymnasium. Thus, he was d to receive even more rewards. Who would be stupid enough toin about receiving gifts? Liam was not that spoiled, and he was in need of Arcanium as well. As for the ck Steel Weapon, Liam had yet to take a look at the choices. But he would do that when he had some time. For now, he kept ring at the idiotic Natives who had begun toin about him ''stealing'' their prey. Even if Liam was currently in a good mood as he finally finished his customized mission with flying colors, he had a hard time refraining from throwing a bunch of ck Tarthear needles in the disgusting faces of the entitled Natives who thought so highly of themselves. ''Are they just stupid and unable to realize that I saved their fat asses, quite literally at that?'' Liam was not sure what was going on in the natives'' mind, but it was just one of the many mysteries he never understood behind the cause of action of both humans and devils. As little as they understood him, Liam couldn''t understand them either. Thus, he was d to be able to divert his focus to something else as a bunch of notifications popped up in front of him. [Customized Mission¡ºProtect the Natives¡»has beenpleted sessfully. 2315 Natives have been protected actively and passively. Congrattions!] [The Host''s Debt has been removed!] [Small Shop Certificate(15 Days) can be imed.] [463 Arcanium have been rewarded!] [Vial of Boundless Vitality(SSS) can be imed.] ''How generous¡­System¡­why are you so nice to me all of a sudden?'' Liam asked the Arcane System in his mind even if he didn''t expect an answer. He was pretty satisfied with his overall gains, who wouldn''t be? The value of the Vial of Boundless Vitality was still unknown to him but he was pretty sure that the Small Shop Certificate was the most valuable of the lot. "im the Small Shop Certificate!" Liam ordered while ignoring the gazes that were drawn to him. His hands were trembling due to the high influx of the Arcane Power that had surged through them, and from throwing more than three thousand ck Tarthear needles at his opponents. It was quite hard to ept for others but Liam had actually killed more than 3000 gued Monsters all by himself, in such a short time at that! [The Small Shop Certificate(15 Days) has been imed!] A small ticket materialized in Liam''s hand but he didn''t bother looking at it for more than a second. He tore the ticket into pieces, which resulted in more notifications popping up in front of him. [Congrattions to the Host for creating your own temporary Shop.] [The countdown starts now! <14D:23H:59M:59S>] [The ¡ºShop¡»function can now be essed] Liam ignored the natives that were quite far away from him and essed the Shop function. The disy items on the front shelves of the shop were not very appealing since there was not much he could do in a temporary shop, to begin with. It was a Small Shop, which wasparable to a permanent shop with a total of five Slots to sell goods. He could also configure the Shop to a certain degree which meant that he could purchase one particr type of item at a certain price with the Arcanium he could deposit in the Shop. "That''s better than expected, for sure!" Liam thought, nodding his head in satisfaction as his hand reached out for the closest corpse. He grasped it and released his Arcane Power outside his body. A fiber-thin azure-blue membrane enveloped the corpse that disappeared a momentter. The corpse appeared in his Small Shop where Liam put it on disy in one of the five empty boxes. Liam reached out for another corpse and he stored it in the same way as before, using his Arcane Power. However, this time instead of the corpse appearing in his shop, something else happened instead. [2x ¡ºOrdinary gued Monster¡»for 0.25 Arcanium each!] ''Yes!'' He eximed inwardly before he started to collect more and more corpses. He continued to ignore the existence of the natives, who were staring nkly at him. A few natives wanted to confront Liam, and even attack him for stealing their kills as they realized what he was capable of, only for Felix to hold them back. "I don''t really know what he meant when he said that he doesn''t have to protect us anymore, but you better leave him alone!" He warned, not budging in the slightest as he looked deep into the eyes of the people who were trying to make a fool of themselves. The natives looked at each other, and their heads flicked over to Liam before they looked over to the few people who had chosen to follow Liam. They clearly recalled how hard it had been for the six people to throw a few needles at the gued Monsters, while Liam threw dozens in an even faster interval effortlessly. His mercilessness, speed, or dexterity was not something that could be ignored. "Maybe¡­you''re right¡­" One of them mumbled and the others nodded their heads as well. They could be satisfied with the gains they made from killing a bunch of gued Monsters. The rewards they received were also quite decent, especially considering that every single person inside the gymnasium was given the first reward of the Event Mission. More than 2000 people were granted the choice to pick any ck Steel Weapon they wanted to. Olivia, Kian, Rex, and the others had already reced their steel spear with other weapons, and it was only now that Felix and his people noticed that Olivia was holding out her steel spear to Liam. "Do you need the steel spear? Maybe you can sell it for a few Arcanium!" She asked when she reached Liam, whose expression returned to the earlier neutral expression. "You noticed that I was given a shop certificate as a reward?" He asked in response to her question, which Olivia reaffirmed with a nod. "I noticed that a new shop appeared when you tore the ticket that materialized in your hand. The Ordinary gued Monsters in the new Small Shop are also quite obviously the gued Monsters from here!" Olivia exined. Liam nodded his head before he continued to collect the corpses. "Do you really think someone will pay 0.25 Arcanium for the Ordinary gued Monster corpses?" Olivia asked, not too sure if Liam was not overestimating the selling price for each gued Monster. After all, killing them rewarded less Arcanium than the price he demanded for their corpses. However, Liam smiled confidently when he heard her question. If not for the current situation, he would never be willing to sell the corpses for merely a quarter of an Arcanium, to begin with. In fact, he would rather dissect the body of the gued Monsters and earn a much higher fortune with the things he could use their body parts for. "The Elves would probably be willing to pay an entire Arcanium if we wouldn''t be in the early game of the Arcane Apocalypse. You can even brew Berserk Potions and concoct Antitode Pills with gued Monster corpses!" Chapter 48 Fortune ?"So¡­where are we going now?" Ludwig asked, hoping that Liam was done nning out the next steps of the big n he had in mind. However, Liam disappointed the skinny native as he shrugged his shoulders. "Let''s look for a ce where we can stay for the night. We shouldn''t rush things now that it stopped raining. Monsters will probably flood the city soon, and we shouldn''t obstruct them since nobody here is strong enough to deal with strong monsters right now," He said after a while, pointing at the rooftop of the gymnasium. "Even if they don''t want us inside the gymnasium anymore, we can just rest on top. It''s pretty warm and morefortablepared to staying outside." It was alreadyte afternoon now that Liam finished collecting all corpses belonging to the horde of gued Monsters. Nobody dared to steal the corpses or demand anything from Liam. Felix and the other natives retreated inside the gymnasium after a while, trying toe up with a n to survive the following days without Liam. While the other natives were mostly against Liam, Felix would have loved to ept the invader back into their group. Not only was Liam powerful but he could teach them a lot, whether it was rted tobat, or a plethora of other things. Liam was a golden goose that had been thrown aside by Felix''s foolish people. Felix knew that things were bound to get more difficult now, but there was nothing they could do about it now that it had already happened. They could only look forward and give their utmost to survive the Arcane Apocalypse. Meanwhile, Liam and the others were doing exactly the same. But instead of increasing the distance to the gymnasium, they used the fire escape staircases that could be essed on the left side of the gymnasium. They climbed up the narrow and winding staircase for a while before they reached the rooftop of the gymnasium. It was muchrger than Liam expected and there was nothing special that attracted his interest. "I thought there would be more. But that''s much better," He mumbled to himself before he sat down on the ground after he found a somewhat clean spot. The others spent some more time to find a clean spot and they even used some Arcanium to get their hands on a nket to spread out on the dirty floor and sit on. Liam thought that it was a waste of money, especially since they didn''t have any means to store items yet. The nket would probably be left behindter. But he did notment on anything. "Why did you want toe up here already? We still have some hours of sunlight left. Shouldn''t we have gone hunting to umte more Arcanium?" Kian pointed out, and both Rex and Felicia nodded their heads in agreement. "You guys can go down and hunt a bit, but I need to im the rewards for my missions and figure out how to spend my Arcanium in the most efficient way!" Liam suggested while taking a nce at the Arcanium he earned from selling the gued Monsters that had sold out within minutes of being disyed in his shop. [The Host earned over 1000 Arcanium within the opening hour of his Shop. Achievement¡ºGolden Toad¡»has been attained, congrattions!] [50 Arcanum have been rewarded!] [A total of 1109.9 Arcanium have been transferred to the finances of the Host!] [Arcanium: 2085] Liam was obviously satisfied with his gains. The Arcane Apocalypse hadn''t started too long ago but he already had a Small Shop, more than 2000 Arcanium, cleared all his previous debt and he had yet to im the other special rewards from his two missions. Even the Weapon of Choice was a quite satisfactory reward because he could get his hands on something he might desperately need in the near future, without paying a dime. "im reward, Weapon of Choice!" [Reward: Weapon of Choice(ck Steel) has been imed!] When Liam imed his reward, his mind entered a white world that was filled with thousands upon thousands of weapons. His eyes widened at the sight of the ck Steel weapons that were glinting on the smooth and white glistening pirs, beckoning him. He was not sure which one to pick and thought about the weapon he had in mind. In response to his thoughts, the unsuitable ck Steel weapons seemed to disperse into countless particles while the remaining ck Steel Weapons that were somewhat suitable to the weapon he had in mind inched closer to him. ? After he spend two minutes, he picked a weapon, if one could consider it such. The white world spun around and disappeared into thin air as Liam found himself back on top of the gymnasium''s rooftop. Everyone''s attention was drawn to him as the ck Steel Weapon of his choice materialized in front of him. "What''s wrong?" He asked when he realized that someone must have asked a question yet he didn''t quite catch it. "Rex asked you how much Arcanium you made from selling corpses, and if you can sell the corpses of the monsters we kill in the future as well," Olivia repeated before she added, "and I asked you why the Nine Realms are suddenly attacking the Earth and why Arcane Power is filling the Earth all of a sudden? There are a few more questions that confuse me, but I think those are the most important questions I have in mind." Liam looked over to Rex and thought about something for a moment before he answered the native''s question. "I can sell the corpses of the monsters you killed. I will give you guys 30% of the profit. If you don''t agree to those terms, I will not sell the corpses you guys provide through my shop. That way you won''t make any money." He said, staring a little coldly at Rex, who waved his hand in response to the re he received. "Please calm down, I just wanted to make sure that we don''t waste the corpses. If you don''t want to tell us how much you''ve made from the gued Monsters, that''s fine¡­" Rex hurriedly added to not anger Liam who nodded his head before looking at Olivia. ''The exnation of the Arcane System should have been more than enough to understand the situation, are they just oblivious or stupid?'' Chapter 49 Surge Of Power ?While he thought of an answer to her question, he fidgeted around with the ck steel wrist protector that had been his choice of weapon from the avable rewards. He put the ck steel wrist protector on and inserted some Arcane Power into it. The design of the wrist protector was simple yet functional. It wrapped around the wrist without causing any difort no matter how much Liam moved his arm. However, the true beauty of the ck steel wrist protectory in its ability to transform. With a flick of the wrist and the injection of Arcane Power, it unfolded and expanded to cover the entire forearm in a seamless notion. The transformation was effortless and it made Liam feel as if the shield was merely an extension of his own body. The small shield was matt ck in color and it had a small design of lines etched on its surface. Liam presumed that it has been chiseled from a single piece of ck steel and that an expert craftsman worked wonders on that piece in coordination with a great Inscriber. By transforming his right hand into a w, he tested the strength of the shield. He quickly noticed that the Arcane Power imbued into the shield was drained as soon as he began using it. That was just like he had expected. The shield was small but it was more than enough to pack a few punches given itspact size. It could be used for closebat as well as long-distance defensive measures, and he could carry it around all the time in the form of a somewhat stylish wristband or bracelet without attracting any attention. Liam nodded in satisfaction before he mumbled to himself. "Not too strong but not too bad either. The ck Steel Wrist Shield is pretty decent." When he was done inspecting his new gadget, Liam switched his attention to Olivia once again. "The answer you''re looking for is pretty simple. Haltan, or what you call Earth, was the strongest of the Ten Great Realms. Haltan''s greatest advantage was that it is the only Realm that connects to the other Nine Realms. This advantage that brought Haltan great prosperity in the Era of the Ancients was also what caused its downfall. I do not know everything about the Era of the Ancients but I know that Haltan was banished from the grace of the Arcane Power and that it was sealed a very long time ago, rather than destroyed. As for the reason why the Nine Realms didn''t destroy Haltan after they created the Great Unification, I do not know much either. Now that Haltan is about to regain its former power, the Nine Realms want to get their hands on every bit of territory they can procure on Haltan. After all, Haltan is connected to all Realms, which opens up great opportunities. If you want to know more about the Ten Great Realms and the Era of the Ancients, get stronger and find out more. My knowledge is not that vast!" There was a lot more Liam could tell Olivia but he didn''t feel like spending several hours going into detail to educate her. The library in his mother''s domain was overflowing with parchments that revolved around the Era of the Ancients, the creation of the Arcane System, and much more. Apparently, the Arcane System was a creation and brainchild of Haltan''s powerhouses. In exchange for sealing Haltan''s Original Source of Arcane Power, they were given the opportunity to nt a device inside Haltan''s sentience to make sure that it could be preserved over the course of time alongside the Original Source of Arcane Power. The device evolved the sentience of Haltan into the Arcane System, or so the legends said. Liam was pretty sure that most legends were nonsense and folktales, but there had to be a tiny trace of truth behind all the lies and exaggerations, otherwise, the Arcane System wouldn''t havee into existence. The more Liam thought about it, the bigger the mystery behind Haltan, the 10th Great Realm. Liam was knowledgeable for his age, but he was far from being wise. His biggest advantage was that he had participated in wars since he was seven years old. Sometimes, hisbat prowess might not suggest that he had been fighting in wars for over a decade but that was mostly due to the change of his Soultrait and theck of strength he felt very often recently. Theck of strength was evident since his stats had been way below the average of an ordinary human being when he was mercilessly dumped onto Haltan. It was only obvious that he had never felt as weak as before! Even now, he could barely be considered to have stats on par with the average native from Haltan. That was what Liam gauged after he had analyzed a few Natives for a while. Fortunately, he wouldn''t feel weak for long anymore! "im the Customized Gift!" Liam spoke out loud, ignoring Olivia and the others whose eyes denoted that they were waiting in anticipation to know more about the Nine Realms, Haltan, and the Arcane System. But he couldn''t care less about that right now. [Customized Gift to the Major Contributor(63.2%) has been imed!] [The Lesser Relic ¡ºArcane Kunai¡»has been rewarded!] [The Host was bestowed with a tremendous amount of Arcane Power!] Before Liam realized what was going on, he found himself writhing on the ground. His entire body exuded a tremendous amount of azure blue energy that repulsed everyone and everything in his surroundings. The surge of Arcane Power that entered his body had taken him by surprise. It was as if a flood of the purest energy was coursing through his veins, seemingly wreaking havoc while actually strengthening the channels through which his Arcane Power surged and infiltrated his body and senses. The sensation was electrifying and it made him feel as if every cell inside his body wasing alive. It was certainly notfortable, however, Liam epted everything regardless. After all, he understood what it meant to take a risk in order to snatch an opportunity when it appeared in front of him! Chapter 50 Relic ?[The Host''s Arcane Power increased.] [The Host''s Arcane Power increased.] [The Host''s Arcane Power increased.] Liam''s chest heaved heavily and sweat trickled down from his forehead, soaking his clothes. He was exhausted after spending more than two hours with the torrents of Arcane Power raging inside his body. His body had slowly epted the Arcane Power which resulted in the increase in his Arcane Power stat. It had increased by a full rank, which was a great sess. The Arcane Power inside his body was not only more potent than before but also more in terms of quantity. "Now I feel a bit better," Liam mumbled with a weak smile on his lips as he felt that his body was slowly regaining its former glory. Of course, he was not even close to reaching the strength he possessed in the past but it was only a matter of time before that would happen. Liam was just about to get up from the ground when his eyes caught a flicker and were pulled over to a de thaty idle next to him. He picked up the weapon which he immediately recognized as a kunai, though manufactured to look more modern than an ordinary kunai. A kunai is a small deadly weapon with a rather simple design, which required the wielder to possess some skill and precision to use it efficiently. Its de was double-edged, long, and narrow, ending in a razor-sharp tip that glimmered in a dark bluish light. The edges were honed to perfection, which Liam figured real quick as it cut through the pipe to his left. The de of the kunai was dark blue while the hilt was made of dark wood that was wrapped in a durable cord. [¡ºArcane Kunai¡»-Lesser Relic/Circleless G-Rank- Description: The Arcane Kunai is a weapon with many unique properties. It was forged in the maw of a dying Drake using the Essence of a ckleara Swordfish. It can be bound to one Source of Arcane Power which can precisely control the Relic in a radius of two meters as long as enough Arcane Power has been provided. Remark: The Lesser Relic can be upgraded up to the ¡¸1st Circle, D Rank¡¹using Arcanium.] "A Relic? That''s certainly something I didn''t expect," Liam mumbled to himself. He understood the value of the Lesser Relic immediately and didn''t waste any time in imprinting his Source of Arcane Power to the Relic. The Arcane Kunai trembled upon acknowledging Liam as its new owner and he injected more of his Arcane Power inside. Afterward, he willed the Arcane Kunai to move as per his wish. A radius of two meters was not much but it was certainly enough to y around a little. Furthermore, the Arcane Kunai was currently a Circleless G- Rank item. Upgrading it was likely to be expensive but the Lesser Relic was bound to be sharper, while the range of control was supposed to expand. Liam was interested in the Lesser Relic, but he was interrupted by the bothersome gazes that were thrown at him. "You guys want to know what Relics are?" Liam asked, guessing what the oblivious natives wanted to know. Their frantic nods were enough of an answer for him to start exining the difference between ordinary armaments and Relics. "Simply put, Relics are the stronger versions of ordinary armaments because of their special properties. These special properties can vary a lot, but the best example would be the Arcane Kunai. I can control it precisely in a radius of two meters. Even if that is not much, I can expand the range of control by upgrading the rank of the Lesser Relic," He said before pointing out a few more things, "The Arcane Kunai is also extremely sharp because it was forged with the Essence of a ckleare Swordfish. Using Essences in the forging process increases the chance to create an armament. Other than that, it is also possible for a Relic to have gained sentience in the manufacturing process. The materials, whether it is an Essence or something else have gained sentience after its form waspleted." There were a few more things he could mention, and it might have been better if he worded some things a little bit more in detail or in simplified terms but he chose against correcting himself. The most important to know was that Relics were of exceptional value, that they were better than ordinary armaments, and that they had special properties! After he was done exining, Liam didn''t even think of giving the natives the time toe up with more questions. "It''s already dark. Spend your Arcanium or rest a little. I have lots of things to do tonight!" He said while sliding open the Arcane Shop where a bunch of shops popped up. Other than the shops of the Elves and Dwarves, there was his shop and a handful of others. Most shops didn''t offer anything that attracted his attention. There were a few items that were worth a second nce but that was already it. He didn''t n on wasting his Arcanium for something of little to no value. Liam was trying to be on par with the big families of the Nine Realms, so he had to give his best and make the choices that rewarded him with the most efficient solutions. Thus, Liam ended up iming the Vial of Boundless Vitality. [Vial of Boundless Vitality(SSS) has been imed] The Vial didn''t look special. In fact, it looked like an ordinary vial with golden liquid swirling inside. [¡ºVial of Boundless Vitality¡»-Circleless SSS Rank- Description: The Vial of Boundless Vitality has been created with the sap of a Sacred Tree of Life. It creates a flood of Lifeforce that is capable of reaching every nook and cranny of the body, thereby cleansing it. The remaining Lifeforce will reinforce the body in its entirety! Remark: Not a single trace of Lifeforce will be wasted, no matter what!] "That''s the good stuff¡­I see!" Chapter 51 Vial Of Boundless Vitality ?The moment the viscous golden liquid traveled down the throat, Liam''s eyes widened in shock. A rush of energy flooded him in an instant. It was almost as if a dam had burst open inside him, spreading a massive current of Lifeforce through his entire body. The cells in his body seemed toe alive, brimming with vitality from the inside out. The sensation felt somewhat simr to before when the torrent of Arcane Power entered his body, just that it was several times stronger than before. It was an electric sensation, like millions of tiny little currents that coursed through his muscles and nerves. Liam''s heartbeat elerated and he could clearly feel the blood pumping through his body with the Lifeforce that reached every single cell of his body. His skin began to prickle and he felt as if a me was incinerating everything within his body, burning him from the inside out. Liam found himself writhing in pain on the ground, once again, but this time things were a little bit different. He could feel the searing heat he exuded and it spread through every inch of his body and even outside of it. It was a sensation that was both exhrating since he could feel that his skin was beginning to shed and that a ck reeking mass of impurities was being expelled along with the shed skin, but also terrifying because he was not sure what exactly awaited him. It was almost as if he was consuming the life force that was coursing through him, which included the life force that had been residing within him even before he drank the liquefied Boundless Vitality. However, Liam couldn''t stop, even if it was possible, in the first ce. He craved more Lifeforce and was fine with the pain if it brought more pleasant changes to his body. His limbs were getting stronger and his mind was clearer than ever before. Every sense was heightened and the world around him seemed much brighter and more vibrant than ever before. It was a weird sensation, but certainly not something he hated. Liam could tell that it was only a matter of time before he could aplish anything. He would soon be able to move mountains, part the oceans, and rise from the bottom to the top of the Nine Realms. For the first time since forever, Liam was d that he had been abandoned and thrown onto Haltan, which was actually weird, the more he thought about it. He was not sure if his mother had nned all of that but he could tell that it was not impossible for him to attain a kind of strength he never even had the chance to im in the past. He felt the power slowly growing inside him, and he was awaiting the moment of truth, hoping that the exhrating feeling was not only, a feeling, but reality as well. As the Life force within the liquid of Boundless Vitality was being fully unleashed, Liam let out a thunderous roar. His horn began to exude an ominous purple hue as it grew in size, blood began to trickle out of his eyes that seemed to desire to unleash the power that was sealed within them and his ws raked the floor of the rooftop, digging deep inside it as they grew longer. His skin shed once again and more impurities were expelled from his body until thest bits of overflowing Lifeforce were used up. The long night would soon end and the sun would shine again above the horizon, revealing the seemingly semi-transparent snow white skin of the exhausted being who had, atst, regained his vigor. Liam was sweating buckets but he was not exhausted anymore. His entire body was covered by the ck mass of reeking impurities but that was already the worst problem. He released his Arcane Power to shroud his impurities with it before he threw it inside his Small Shop where the impurities were sold for one Arcanium each. Some monsters would definitely purchase the impurities to eat and devour them to be stronger. Liam didn''t know how impurities could strengthen someone but he didn''t really care about the reasoning behind that. He was more focused on himself and the changes urring in his body. Looking at his arms, Liam could clearly see the wless skin and both the Arcane Power Channels and the veins that were clearly visible to his eyes under his skin. His shed skin was also put up for sale inside the Small Shop but Liam was not sure if someone would be interested in buying it. He exhibited it and priced it for 0.1 Arcanium without the intention to research anything. Oddly enough, someone purchased his shed skin almost immediately. That caused goosebumps to erupt all over his body and he stared nkly at the azure holographic screen of his shop before he swiped over to take a look at his status panel. ?¡ª-?Entity Details??¡ª-? [Liam Wandel] [Halfling] [Devil/Human] [Rank: Circleless] [Soultrait:¡ºDevil''s Eyes¡»] [Arcanium: 2085.1] ¡ª¡ª¡ª-?Stats?-¡ª¡ª¡ª [Vitality: (S)] [Strength: (E-)] [Agility: (E-)] [Stamina: (E-)] [Arcane Power: (D+)] [Will: (F+)] ?___________________? His stats and fortune were a sight to behold, but it was not enough to give him a feeling of security. ''Vitality at S¡­that''s much better than expected¡­but I can tell that it''s correct,'' Liam thought while circting Arcane Power through the channels in his body. Controlling the Arcane Power within his body was much easier than before, and all of that was just because of the impurities that had been removed from within his body. His Vitality was graded at S due to the removal of impurities and the influx of life force. It was only obvious that he was feeling great and much healthier than he had felt for most of his past life. His vitality might have been higher in the past but the feeling was different. The Vial of Boundless Vitality was certainly a treasure that couldn''t be acquired through ordinary means, and that left one particr question etched on Liam''s mind. ''Is the Arcane System really a part of Haltan''s sentience, or is there another reason for it to reward me with something as valuable as the Vial of Boundless Vitality just for rescuing more than 2000 Natives?'' Liam knew the trouble he had to go through to save the 2000+ Natives, and how hard it was not to simply kill all of them instead. However, he was not sure if these idiots were worth the efforts he had taken and the reward he was given. Liam didn''tin about the reward he received from the system but it left a few questions unanswered. That was certainly dissatisfactory and it bothered Liam for a little while until he returned his focus back to the more important things. He had still more than 2000 Arcanium to spend, after all! ** If you want to support me use your golden tickets and powerstones. You can also visit my pa treon: Pa treon/HideousGrain More character images and nice chats about the HideVerse: https://discord.gg/EdsDgFVWwZ Link also in my description. Do you like it? Leave a review and add it to the library! Chapter 52 Precautions ?His fortune was enormous inparison to the wealth of others. There may be many with the same or even more Arcanium than he possessed but that was not something Liam dwelled on right now. His mind was fully focused on making the most of his Arcanium. That was certainly not easy, and he knew that certain investments could fail miserably if the situations in the future wouldn''t be in his favor. Satisfied with the current situation of his stats, Liam nodded his head slowly as he made his first purchases. [ ¡ºCasket of Trickery (E- Rank)¡»has been purchased. 5 Arcanium have been deducted!] [¡º250 ck Tarthear Needles(D Rank)¡»have been purchased. 23 Arcanium have been deducted!] [ ¡º150 Lumina Needles (D Rank)¡»have been purchased. 75 Arcanium have been deducted!] A small ck box, a small white box, and a second Casket of Trickery materialized in front of Liam. He fastened the second Casket of Trickery to his belt as well and ced it near the first one after he put the hundred Lumina Needles inside it. Afterward, he put the 250 ck Tarthear needles inside the first Casket of Trickery, filling the Casket to the brim once again. The function of the Lumina Needles was not to kill anyone but it was more like a sh grenade that was triggered with Arcane Power meant to distract his opponents. After being injected with Arcane Power, the Lumina Needles would release a dazzling light once a few seconds passed. The price of these needles was on the higher side, but it was hardlyparable to their exceptional use if utilized properly. Of course, one might waste precious money if one was incapable of exploiting them to their fullest. ''What now?'' Liam asked himself when he was done with his first purchase. He was trying to think and prepare a few steps ahead which meant that Liam was already thinking about what they would do once the first rays of sunlight would shine over the horizon. With the onset of dawn, Liam nned to leave to a ce where they could procure Arcanium, Relics, and other treasures. He clearly recalled the ce they would go to, and it caused him to sigh deeply. ''I swear, if this old bitch would be stingy again, I will whoop her ass the moment this time!'' Liam cursed in his mind as he made his next purchase with a sting in his heart. [ ¡ºKeychain of Miniature Tools (C Rank)¡»has been purchased. 800 Arcanium have been deducted!] A keychain with more than two dozen miniature figures materialized in front of Liam who reached out with his hand to grasp it tightly. He used some Arcane Power to insert it into the Keychain, or the miniature pickaxe to be precise. It drained quite some Arcane Power but Liam couldn''t help but feel satisfied upon seeing how the miniature pickaxe was slowly growing in size. Upon reaching the size of an ordinary pickaxe the used Arcane Power mantled the pickaxe head, enhancing its endurance and mining efficiency. Liam''s heart was still in pain but the Keychain of Miniature Tools ought to be a worthy investment. Each of the two dozen Miniature Tools could grow to it''s ordinary size, meaning that Liam could do almost anything with the tools, whether it was to start a farm, be a lumberjack, a miner, a cook, or even an Alchemist. It was not Liam''s intention to look for a different upation, but each of those tools mighte in handy sooner orter. As of now, he was hoping that the Keychains of Miniature Tools would be of exceptional use upon conquering the underground tower of his little sister, the wench of a Devil. Liam didn''t know how often he felt like twisting his little sister''s neck. Unfortunately, he was not strong enough to do something against her. After all, she was their parents'' perfect heir, blessed with their mother''s bloodline and that of a Devil Monarch. Meanwhile, he was considered a misfit that was lucky to have survived for two decades. ? None of that mattered for the n he had in mind, since his sister''s strength was hardly relevant when it came to the construction of an underground dungeon. Only her stinginess and greed were somewhat relevant. His little sister would never willingly ce treasures inside the underground dungeon. Liam knew this very well, and he was merely hoping that the basic requirements introduced by the Arcane System, shortly before the grace period ended, would change things a little. Towers, Dungeons, and Ancient Ruins were creations from the Nine Realms and replications of the Tenth Realm''s history. They earned Arcanium just by existing since they exposed Haltan to the Arcane Power they housed. Liam was not very well informed about the Pact of the Great Unification, Haltan and the Arcane System, but he knew that their agreement was a measure to provide the big families of the Nine Realms with Arcanium in exchange for the creation of Towers, Dungeons, and Ancient Ruins that were adequately filled with treasures, monsters and much more. None of that really mattered to Liam since the only information of importance was the wealth they could procure in the underground tower of his sister. Knowing her to a certain extent, he was pretty sure that the sly fox of his sister wouldn''t give up on her precious treasures. Instead, she would hand over the treasures nobody could make use of without certain precautions made beforehand. And that was exactly what the Keychain of Miniature Tools was bought for! More preparations were made by purchasing a few more items, goods that could save his life sooner orter. And that was exactly what he got his hands on just momentster. [ ¡ºBasic Potion Belt (D+ Rank)¡»has been purchased. 150 Arcanium have been deducted!] [ 10x¡ºBasic Potion Set (D+ Rank)¡»hav been purchased from the Elvaria Shop. 100 Arcanium have been deducted!] 10 boxes filled with 12 potions each materialized in front of Liam, followed by a ck belt. He removed the Caskets of Trickery from his belt and attached them to the Basic Potion Belt which he put around himself. The Potion Belt had six small buttons that could be pressed in order to retrieve the potions that had been stored inside. Each button was reserved for a special type of potion. Even after storing 120 potions inside the Potion Belt, it looked as slim as before, and Liam nodded his head in satisfaction. ''No distraction and difort, great!'' Chapter 53 Ready To Rumble! ?The mechanism of the Potion Belt was pretty simple. It could store potions neatly by decreasing the size of the vials to the bare minimum. By pressing on the respective button, the desired potion would be retrieved and erged to its original size. It was simr to a storage device, just that it was cheaper since it could only store potions, six specific types, and at most 30 of each type. Purchasing a small storage device was already extremely expensive for Liam as most of his fortune would have been deducted just to get his hands on a storage device with a capacity of five cubic meters. That was certainly not worth it, especially as he could make use of the Small Shop to exhibit items for an exorbitantly high price if he wanted to store them! It was a loophole he could make use of, and Liam was more than willing to abuse every existing loophole as long as it meant that he could earn a fortune from it! [Aranium: 932.1] Even with less than a thousand Arcanium in his pockets, Liam could still purchase lots of things. However, instead of making thingsplicated, he invested as much as possible into his Lesser Relic to increase its rank. [915.9 Arcanium have been deducted to increase the rank of the Lesser Relic ¡ºArcane Kunai¡»!] [¡ºCircleless G- Rank¡»?¡ºCircleless D+ Rank¡»] [¡ºArcane Kunai¡»-Lesser Relic/Circleless D+ Rank- Description: The Arcane Kunai is a weapon with many unique properties. It was forged in the maw of a dying Drake using the Essence of a ckleara Swordfish. It can be bound to one Source of Arcane Power which can precisely control the Relic in a range of 25 meters as long as enough Arcane Power has been provided. Remark: The Lesser Relic can be upgraded up to the ¡¸1st Circle D Rank¡¹using Arcanium. Remark 2: The longer the distance of the user from the Relic, the higher the Arcane Power consumption upon usage!] The Arcane Kunai was mantled in a white cocoon upon upgrading. It woke up the others who stared at the bright cocoon in confusion. When the light dimmed down, dawn dawned upon them. Liam grasped the Arcane Kunai and he inserted more Arcanium inside the Relic to fill it to the brim. Afterward, he tested a few maneuvers by throwing it into the air, willing it toe to a halt and elerate all of a sudden. Only after he got to know how much of a difference the increased consumption caused did he purchase a leather scabbard to safely store the Arcane Kunai. He fastened it to his belt behind his back where he could reach it easily and where it could move in all directions on its own when Liam desired it to move. The Arcane Kunai was certainly a great Relic as long as it was used properly. Liam had hardly used Kunais in fights before but it was perfectly bnced, greatly honed, and controlling it with his will was rather easy, even though his Will stat was the lowest. ''It has not yet awoken its sentience but it can feel what I want, what an interesting Relic!'' Liam thought to himself with a small smile on his face. Once he was done, Liam purchased a new set of clothes, preciselybat suits that didn''t restrict him while fighting and simultaneously provided a little bit of protection from ws and projectiles. This left Liam with less than five Arcanium which he didn''t spend since he didn''t think there was a reason to spend that money. In the worst case, he could consider the Arcanium his savings for emergencies. The others averted their gaze from him when he changed into thebat suit. Some took a few nces and noticed right away that his entire body was riddled with scars. Liam was pretty sure that he had gotten more scars in the past, but he might be mistaken since he lost count of them a long time ago. When he was ready, he noticed that the others were staring at him once again. Their expressions were hard to read, so Liam didn''t even try. "What? Are you guys scared now?" He asked instead. Even though he had been in possession of more than 2000 Arcanium, they had been used up extremely fast. Liam didn''t even think about giving the others some of his Arcanium, but that was only obvious. Even if he didn''t intend to kill them, they were on their own. Otherwise, they would start to rely on him instead of themselves. They had to learn that they were responsible for their own lives and that they couldn''t trust anyone as much as they could trust themselves! Everyone was responsible for themselves, and the best Liam could do to help out was to be the strongest and reduce the other''s burden a little. He got up from the ground and stretched his body a little. He then transformed his hands into ws and back to their usual shape to see how quickly he could transform them, which was how he noticed that his ws were a little longer than before. This was a pleasant surprise that caused him to pierce into the ground to test his w''s endurance and sharpness. There was no hesitation in his movement and he pierced through the solid rooftop without much difficulty. Rex stared at Liam with his mouth wide open and a single word escaped his mouth, "Damn." Liam ignored Rex as he looked over to Olivia and Ludwig who had been training for a while now. Ludwig didn''t seem as skinny as before but that may be reasoned by the way he looked with dry clothes not soaked like a rug. He was trying to use his Arcane Power with great precision and he injected it inside the ck Steel Halbert, which he had picked as his Weapon of Choice. Liam was not sure if Ludwig made the right choice, at first, but upon seeing how much Arcane Power he injected into the Halbert to decrease its weight he couldn''t help but look at Ludwig in a new light. ''Is his Soultrait rted to Arcane Power, or is his talent for Arcane Power just great?'' He wondered before he averted his attention to the edge of the rooftop where Jennie was looking down. "Where are we going now?" Jennie asked upon noticing Liam''s gaze. She seemed to be worried about going down, and Liam quickly identified the reason. Monsters could be seen roaming everywhere. Some were fighting, while others were merely observing their surroundings. And then there were a few humans trying to run for their lives. "We''re going to leave the Valley!" Liam announced. Everyone''s attention was pulled over to him when he said that. "Weren''t we going to stay somewhere close to clear the area and expand our territory slowly?" Kian asked in a confused voice as he didn''t understand what Liam was nning to do. However, Liam just smiled in return. "If you want to y hero, you are definitely on the wrong team with me. I don''t give a shit," He said, "I want to conquer my sister''s underground tower!" "Your sister¡­as in¡ª..." Rex was stopped abruptly before he could finish his sentence. "As in annoying, bratty, bossy and violent¡­Yep, that''s my little sister." Liam interrupted. "Ah¡­yeah, I know what you mean!" Chapter 54 The Threats ?Once they finished their preparations, the small group of one Halfling and six Natives made their way down to the ground. They were immediately greeted by a bunch of monsters but Liam was more than prepared to tackle them. He rushed forward with nimble steps and issued small, yet deadly attacks that were enough to kill a handful of Meheks and rats that had been fighting against each other just moments earlier. [+0.05 Arcanium] [+0.07 Arcanium] [+0.05 Arcanium] [+0.1 Arcanium] ¡­ Liam''s earnings for ying monsters decreased drastically. That was something he expected since hisbat prowess had increased exponentially. His high Vitality stat may not increase hisbat prowess directly but it allowed him to regenerate faster, and restore his Stamina and Arcane Power in a much shorter time and his skin was tougher as well. As a Half-Devil with an exceptional bloodline coursing through his veins, a high increase in Vitality also meant that he was somewhat resilient to elemental attacks. His elemental resistance was weak and not actually worth mentioning but it was still a determining factor of hisbat prowess. After all, hisbat prowess did not just stem from his strength but his stamina and his overall resilience, both physical and mental. There were a bunch of additional features that were taken into consideration when determining hisbat prowess for the equation that determined how much Arcanium he earned from a kill, but Liam didn''t mull over it for long. He was more focused on the corpses he could collect to sell them for quite some money. Even if the huge rats, the zing Tooth Rats, and the Meheks were ordinary monsters, selling them for 0.05 to 0.1 Arcanium was still a fair trade. Some people would buy them because the corpses of those monsters could be turned into food, weapons, tools, and even protective garments. Clothes made of the rat''s fur were not very strong, but it was better than the ordinary clothes worn by the natives. As for the rats and Meheks'' meat, it could be eaten as long as it was cooked well. Last but not least, there were also the monster''s ws that could be turned into weapons, whether they were small daggers or arrow-heads. His Small Shop had only five slots to exhibit goods. The goods might be stacked as long as they were of the same nature, kind and name, but that was still not enough, no matter how much of an advantage it was. Liam kept the prices for the monster corpses low even though the demand was pretty high right now. He knew that it was more important to build up a good reputation for his shop and he wanted to influence the mentality of others to a certain extent, turning it into a habit to take a look at his shop before anywhere else. With the low prices he offered, his exhibition slots were often empty. Goods that were exhibited sold out quickly, which everyone noticed from the shares the natives received every now and then. Other than Meheks and Rats, more monsters had found their way to the za in front of the gymnasium''s main entrance. When Liam and the others passed through it, they were forced to fight some Frenzy Rabbits, Mutated Dogs, Mutated Cats, and a few more animals that had evolved from the influence of the Arcane Power that had emerged on Haltan around 72 hours earlier since it had gone into hibernation. More changes were bound to ur and the animals of Haltan would definitely change and transform over time. However, for now, they wouldn''t pose much of a threat to Liam and his team. The highest threat were certainly other beings who had infiltrated thends of Haltan, and the Natives. Thetter was something Liam learned pretty quickly as they paced through the university''s street with fast strides. When they were about to reach the school building adjacent to the forest, Liam''s senses, fast reaction, and great observation of the surrounding area saved his life. The noise of something cutting through the wind reached Liam''s ears and he instinctively triggered the shield of the ck steel wrist. His entire forearm was covered with the shield as he twisted his body to block the arrow that would have punctured his neck. With a ng, the arrow impacted the shield and fell to the ground. Meanwhile, Liam triggered his Devil''s Eyes Soultrait as his free arm moved instinctively to the Casket of Trickery. Six ck Tarthear Needles were retrieved in an instant, Arcane Power was injected and Liam threw them in the direction the arrow came from. Meanwhile, a loud "Nooo" resounded next to him. The shout came from Kian who had realized what was going on as he was the first after Liam to see the students, who had attacked him upon seeing that Liam was not human. The ck Tarthear Needles disappeared in the second floor and the screams of the students rang out all of a sudden. The students were in pain and they screamed out loudly. Their voices dimmed down mere secondster, while Liam turned around in disinterest. "What the hell did you do?!" Kian shouted in disbelief. Liam looked over coldly without a trace of mercy in his eyes. "If you''re not blind, or stupid, you would understand that I defended myself against people who were after my life." His voice was tranquil and calm, which was a stark contrast to his cold gaze. "You¡­didn''t have to kill them¡­" Kian mumbled quietly as he felt that Liam wouldn''t hesitate to beat the shit out of him the moment he dared to correct him. It was obvious that Liam had been attacked first, but as the stronger party, he could have shown mercy! "They''re not dead," Liam said, leaving out the words ''not yet'' since Kian had yet to ept the reality, and what it meant to follow him. Once again, Liam understood that the ducklings wouldn''t be able to keep up with him for a long time. But if that was their fate, he was fine with it. It was nothing new for him to be standing on the battlefield, all by himself, surrounded by corpses. It was only a matter of time before history would repeat itself¡­ Chapter 55 Cook! ?[+0.3 Arcanium] [+0.24 Arcanium] [+0.41 Arcanium] [+0.19 Arcanium] [+0.2 Arcanium] There was no change in Liam''s expression when the five notifications reached him. The notifications were about the death of the five students of which one had attacked him. If Kian were to know that they were dead, he would probably be stupefied and rush back to take a look at the students. Afterward, he would throw a tantrum and act like a five-year-old kid. That was what Liam expected from Kian who seemed somewhat righteous but also foolish and a tad of a hypocrite. It was not bad to be righteous, but it was not as if Liam would change just because someone didn''t agree with the way he handled certain situations. Olivia and Felicia seemed to be the only ones in the group to understand that to the fullest. They chose to ept Liam, which was necessary to maintain a good rtionship over a long period. Together, they hunted down a bunch of monsters and handed Liam the corpses for him to sell in his Small Shop. Slowly, over the course of the following two hours, they reached the slope that led up to the cliff where Liam had observed the start of the Arcane Apocalypse. Passing through the forest had been a little tricky because most animals had begun to evolve and many monsters had found a safe hideout to stay in for the time being. Thus, their group ended up fighting a wide variety of monsters, including dog-sized spiders, small and agile boars, and a handful of wolves. Their Arcanium increased slowly but nobody paid it any attention. Paying attention to the surroundings and slowly climbing the slope so as to not identally slip and die was the most important. It was only obvious but the forest was flooded and they were kneedeep in muddy water collected due to the heavy downpour of the previous days and it was difficult to find a foothold anywhere. They were attacked every now and then as some snakes and other monsters found their way to them. Thus, it took them a few hours until they reached the stone cliff where Liam had been standing before the Arcane Apocalypse had begun. "Sliding down was certainly easier," Liam said, shrouding his body with Arcane Power. Thebat suit absorbed the Arcane Power before it expelled it at once, resulting in his entire body being cleansed of mud and dirt. The others stared at Liam as he methodically began to cleanse himself and was done in an instant, but they didn''t say a thing. "The underground dungeon is right over there," Liam pointed over to the ck basalt tower before he turned his head over to the other direction, "but let''s first find some food." Liam retrieved the Keychain of Miniature Tools from his Basic Potion Belt and injected Arcane Power into it. The miniature axe began to grow and it was only a matter of time before Liam found himself cutting a few dry branches, leaves that had dried in the sun, and a bunch of stones. He created a small campfire and looked Rex dead in the eyes, "Release your lightning bolt against the edge of the de." Rex stared nkly at Liam whose expectation was quite obvious. "He wants you to use your Soultrait in a controlled manner to light a fire," Ludwig supplied while rolling his eyes at Rex''s stupidity. "Oh¡­" Rex mumbled as he understood, "Ohh!!" Rex had difficulties using his Soultrait in precision. Thus, the moment a bolt of lightning formed in his hand, he shot it toward the axe in Liam''s hand. The bolt of lightning was far from the current of electricity Liam wanted to make use of, but it was still something that he could handle, somehow. The moment the golden bolt of lightning was about to impact on the t side of the de, he twisted the battle-axe and split the bolt of lightning. The bigger portion of the lightning moved on top of the de while the smaller portion impacted where it was supposed to, creating sparks that ignited the dry leaves. Some electricity currents swept through the entire axe, including the shaft. Liam gritted his teeth as his hands nearly turned into ws in response to the sudden shock that coursed through him because of the bolts. He red at Rex, whose eyes went wide as saucers, terrified of Liam''s anger. Rex''s mouth opened and closed a few times but no words escaped his lips. Liam turned away and the axe shrank down in size once again. It turned into the Miniature Axe as it was reced by a small pan which Liam had expanded with the help of the Keychain of Miniature Tools. "Someone else can do the cooking while I will take a look at the underground tower. There might be a few Shedime outside the tower." Liam threw the pan over to Kian, who stared at it as if the pan was some sort of ancient Relic. Felicia smiled as gently as ever as she took the pan from Rex''s hands. Liam retrieved one of the boar''s corpses which he had stored in his shop for a whooping price of 10 Arcanium before he handed it over. "I will be waiting to savor the best meat dish I''ve ever eaten when I return!" Liam said in a half-teasing, half-serious voice. Felicia''s smile crumbled for a moment and she swallowed her saliva while watching the fleeting broad back of Liam. A few seconds of silence passed before Felicia regained her senses. "Does someone know how to butcher a boar?" She asked, scratching the back of her head while trying hard to maintain her confidence and smile. While the students were struggling with something as mundane as butchering the corpse of a small boar, and cooking it without failing miserably over and over again, Liam spent his time roaming around the underground tower of his little sister. He was anticipating the dangers of the dungeon and the look of utter shock on his little sister''s face when her tower would be conquered and destroyed. Her hard work of several months without any sleep would be destroyed in less than a week since the Arcane Apocalypse started. That was what Liam had intended from the beginning and he was looking forward to it! Chapter 56 The Tower ?When his teeth sunk into the meat prepared by Felicia and the others, Liam could hardly control his facial expression. He frowned deeply while chewing on the piece of meat as if it was a dry lump of rubber. "That is definitely rubber¡­" He grumbled while forcing the meat down his throat. It was far from delicious but it did its job, filling Liam''s starved stomach, one way or another. His eyes were filled with displeasure as he retrieved the Keychain of Miniature Tools from Felicia. She muttered something under her breath, unable to keep up the gentle and kind smile that could be seen whenever one looked at her. "Whatever. Let''s finish our meals and get going," Liam said, not minding Felicia''s hurt look. She should understand that she was not going to win any cookingpetition in the near future. Maybe he had expected too much from the natives. They had probably never touched unprepared meat in their life, let alone dissected a dead body it. He got up from the tree trunk that had served as his chair and returned to the basalt underground tower. While the others had prepared dinner or whatever that thing was, Liam had put his time to good use as he killed a few Ordinary Shedim that were scavenging through the surroundings. There had been no other Lesser Demons than Ordinary Shedims, which was quite surprising and Liam already came up with a theory that exined the reason behind the presence of a few Shedims he encountered. ''The tower requires other people to be in its proximity to allow the residents to leave.'' Liam was not sure if that was correct or not but he saw a bunch of more than a hundred Ordinary Shedim waiting inside the basalt tower. They didn''t leave the underground tower, which was a stark contrast to their action three days before the Arcane Apocalypse began. Now that he finished his food that would easily rank in the top 5 worst dishes he ate in his entire life, Liam was ready to kill the hundred Ordinary Shedims. He released the Arcane Kunai when he reached the huge ancient gate of the underground tower before he threw the Arcane Kunai at the first batch of Shedims. Controlling the Arcane Kunai with his will was rather easy, but controlling it for a long period of time over a long distance made things a little bit more annoying. Thus, Liam didn''t control the Arcane Kunai for a long time. He threw it toward a small group of Shedim, and killed the foul demons by controlling the razor-sharp Arcane Kunai, whose de had been forged with the Essence of a ckleara Swordfish, for a few seconds, precisely changing the trajectory of the Arcane Kunai to pierce it through their flesh one after the other. After the first small group of Shedim had been killed, Liam retracted the Arcane Kunai before he threw it out while maintaining the weapon''s peak momentum. Less than three minutester thest Ordinary Shedim had been killed. As for the Arcanium he received from killing the Ordinary Shedims, it wasughable. [Ordinary Shedim has been yed.] [+0.025 Arcanium] These notifications tormented Liam since there were close to a hundred of them, and the only reason for him to be so unbothered about the low rewards was that he could sell the Lesser Demon''s corpses now that he had a shop. It had been extremely easy to kill them as well, barely requiring any Arcane Power, let alone effort to control the Arcane Kunai for a few seconds whenever he threw it out at his prey. The Lesser Demons with their pale, mottled, and burned flesh that was covered with ck scales were extremely weak inparison now that his stats had increased. He was also in possession of pretty decent equipment, which elevated his strength even further. However, what astonished Liam a little was that the Lesser Shedim had gotten rid of the weapons they had been wielding when Liam first encountered them at the cliff. ws adorned each of their hands and feet, and some of them had ck rotten wings that couldn''t be used properly as too many holes riddled the leather wings. This turned them into fearsome-looking Lesser Demons, who had wielded steel weapons before. ''That is a bummer.'' Liam had actually been hoping that the Lesser Demons were still in possession of their steel weapons. That way, he would have been able to make an even bigger fortune from selling both the Lesser Demons'' corpses and their weapons. Now that this was not possible anymore, Liam chose to ept his fate and to get rid of the Mutant Elite Shedim that had made its way to the ground floor of the underground tower as well. The Mutant Elite Shedim was bulky and muchrger than its'' brethren. It didn''t have too many rotten spots on its body and its head looked like the head of a snake with an extremely long neck. Liam knew that he could sell the corpse of the Mutant Elite Shedim for quite some money. Not only would it be used for research by other races, but it was also possible to use the body parts of the Mutant Elite Shedim to create decent weapons, armor, and even poison. After all, the Mutant Elite Shedim''s body was home to some powerful toxins. With that knowledge in mind, he didn''t have to hesitate as he released both his Arcane Kunai and a Lumina Needle at the same time. Each of his hands moved nearly simultaneously as both weapons shot toward the Mutant Elite Shedim that made the mistake of focusing only on the Arcane Kunai. However, that was a lethal mistake, which it realized toote as the Lumina Needle illuminated in a dazzling light. The Mutant Elite Shedim hissed out in pain before it blindly shed at the position the Arcane Kunai ought to be. Unfortunately, Liam had willed the Arcane Kunai to move, changing its trajectory the moment the Lumina Needle''s dazzling light forced both him and the Mutant Elite Shedim to shut their eyes tightly. A guttural scream followed not long after and Liam received two pleasant notifications after silence enveloped him again. At the same time, he retrieved his Arcane Kunai which was now dripping blood after piercing through the tightly shut-eye of the Mutant Elite Shedim before it drilled through its brain. [Mutant Elite Shedim has been yed.] [+1 Arcanium] Chapter 57 My Way! ?Liam was pretty sure that hisbat prowess was much higher than what his stats suggested. His equipment and the way he could use it, allowed him to fight opponents that were much stronger than he was. Killing the Mutant Elite Shedim hadn''t been difficult even though the Lesser Demon''s average stats were certainly higher than his own. Being in possession of a high Vitality stat and a unique Soultrait naturally increased the overall rating of hisbat prowess. Furthermore, he had a high-quality bloodline, if one put it in very simple terms, so it was only obvious that the Arcane System considered him higher than others. Selling all corpses in his Small Shop increased his fortune once again, but Liam''s mind was already somewhere else. They were bound to encounter more Mutant Elite Shedim and even stronger monsters and demons further down the underground tower. He was fine with that but the others were likely to face problems fighting the Mutant Elite Shedims. ''If they cannot even handle a Mutant Elite Shedim, taking them further down with me would be quite problematic¡­'' He thought while ncing over to the natives who were standing in front of the tower''s huge entrance hesitantly. With that thought in mind, Liam reconsidered postponing descending the underground tower until he was sure that the others would be capable enough to kill a Mutant Elite Shedim when they woulde face to face with one eventually. "The lot of you should be strong enough to fight Mutant Elite Shedims, but I want to take a look at this myself. I just want to see how you would do it and what you guys are actually capable of. I need to gauge yourbat prowess!" Liam said in a matter-of-fact tone. However, when looking over to the natives who kept ncing at him as if he had grown another head, he tilted his head and began to rethink his decision and what he just said. It took him a few seconds to regain hisposure. He shook his head and put on a serious expression aftering to a conclusion. "Just forget what I said earlier," Liam announced all of a sudden, "I will not change my ns just because you guys are following me. I will not waste my time pulling one Mutant Elite Shedim after another to the surface just to gauge yourbat prowess. You guys will have to keep up with me if you want to follow me. It is your job to adapt to my needs, not the other way around!" His words were nothing but the truth. It left a bad taste in the natives'' mouths but they understood that they had to adapt to the mannerisms and expectations of the person from whom they wanted something, not the other way around. Liam had already been nice enough to adjust himself to their pace and momentum in thest few days. Expecting too much from him, let alone demanding anything from him meant that they would overstep their boundaries. But even if they were to overstep their boundaries, the natives couldn''t help but look at Liam with puppy eyes. Even Olivia couldn''t help but feel a little hopeful that Liam adjusted his ns in their favor. "Wouldn''t it be better if you were to adjust your ns to train us a little¡­just the basics¡­that way you may be a little bit slower in the next few days but you would gain powerful allies in the long run. Your ns would bepleted much faster if you think about it!" She insisted further, trying to ignore Liam''s re. That was certainly not easy because his gaze was enough to make her hair stand up to its end, and for Olivia to bite her lower lip after facing him for a few seconds. Olivia was a bit embarrassed about her demand but she knew that it was necessary to point out the possible gains Liam could make from training the six of them. It was much better to have six helping hands by his side rather than a deadweight holding him back. She felt that her words made sense, but Liam ended up snickering. His royal purple eyes shone for a moment as he looked into Olivia''s eyes. "Why should I care about that?" He responded, leaving Olivia momentarily unable to form a coherent response. "Why do I have to care whether you guys be stronger or not? The more I help you guys the higher is the possibility that the six of you will unite and go up against me once I''m of no use to you guys anymore. There is only one reason why I don''t kill you guys and ept your presence, but that reason may change at any moment, or cease to exist altogether. I am not a nice person and you guys are either strong enough to follow me, or I will keep getting stronger until none of you will be able to keep up with my progress. I have my ns and the determination to be stronger by all means, and I''ve said it clearly enough, I won''t spend my time teaching some teenagers, who were raised in a sheltered environment. If you guys really want to survive, watch, learn, adapt, ovee, and grow with the experiences you get. Life will teach you how to survive, not some Halfling!" In a way, Liam''s words made sense. It was only obvious that he had better things to do than ying nanny and teacher at the same time to the natives he had barely known for a few days. From what they understood, Liam was powerful but he didn''t know how to teach either. His movements and merciless fighting style had been created and honed on the battlefield, while he fought for his survival. It was simr for the students right now, but there were still major differences in their uing struggles. Liam didn''t want to teach the natives and he couldn''t teach them properly, in the first ce, even if he wanted to. It didn''t matter whether they misinterpreted his words or if they understood him properly. Fact was that he chose against teaching the natives and his decision was final. They began to understand this as well, forcing the natives to ept that staying by Liam''s side meant that they had to learn everything on their own while having countless life-threatening encounters with other monsters which they would have to ovee all by themselves most of the time. That was actually something the natives could look forward to because they had Liam by their side. Even if Liam acted very cold, most of the time, they somehow assumed that his core was actually soft. The natives were certain that Liam would help them if push came to shove, and they followed him inside the underground dungeon, not knowing how frail and unpredictable life truly was. ** If you want to support me use your golden tickets and powerstones. You can also visit my pa treon: Pa treon/HideousGrain More character images and nice chats about the HideVerse: https://discord.gg/EdsDgFVWwZ Link also in my description. Do you like it? Leave a review and add it to the library! Chapter 58 First Basement ?The first basement floor was rather simple. There was much more space than on the ground floor but there weren''t many Lesser Demons around. Most of them had been killed after they moved to the ground floor, or left the underground tower. The small group of Liam and the natives ignited the torches and they took a look around the basement, just to see a total of eightrge gates. One of the gates was likely to lead down to the second basement floor, but all of them were tightly locked and secured. At least that was what it looked like at the first nce. There didn''t seem to be any treasures in the main hall of the first basement. Thus, they switched the well-hidden lever with the intention to open one gate after another. The natives exchanged nervous gazes, shifting their weight from one foot to the other while biting their lower lips. Meanwhile, Liam remained vignt of his surroundings. Liam was not even surprised when all eight gates opened at the same time, revealing dozens of Ordinary Shedims and Elite Shedims, including Mutants, crowded in the hallways behind the gates. The Lesser Demons noticed the new entrants and immediately paved their way to the main hall of the first basement, where the six natives and Liam now stood. While the six natives moved together, the corners of Liam''s lip curled upward. He triggered his Soultrait, unleashing the gxies that were sealed deep inside his eyes. His eyesight improved manyfold in an instant and he burst forth without a trace of hesitation. It was obvious that conquering his sister''s tower wouldn''t be easy, but Liam never believed otherwise. As for the Lesser Demons, they were rtively easy to deal with. "I will take the Shedims from two tunnels while you guys survive and kill!" He ordered without feeling the need to look back and see if they had understood his words. Looking back at their terrified faces would just stress him out needlessly. The Arcane Kunai shot out from behind Liam. It pierced three Ordinary Shedim in an instant. His left hand turned into a w while the ck steel shield manifested on his arm. His right hand reached out for the Casket of Trickery where he retrieved a handful of ck Tarthear Needles which he threw at the Lesser Demons to his right. Meanwhile, his left hand cut through the vital spots of the Demons in his range. Liam''s eyes moved from left and right while his hands hacked and shed, trying to cover all of his opponents in his field of vision. He wanted to see everything in his proximity and be prepared for the worst. At the same time, he moved through the tiny gaps between his opponents while wreaking havoc. In a rare circumstance where there was no gap, Liam created the gap he needed. He twisted his body and evaded the attacks that were merely a hair''s breadth away from digging deep into his flesh before he ended their life with a nimble motion. His movements were like the torrents of the ocean, calm and subtle underneath, but ferocious and wild at the surface. The bodies falling to the ground all around him increased in number rapidly, but Liam didn''t pay them any heed. If necessary, he used the dead bodies as hisunching pad to change his movements rapidly while his left w dug into the Lesser Demon. His w was drenched in dark blood while his right hand looked the same-clean and pale white. He moved his hand rapidly to release a bunch of ck Tarthear Needles whenever he got a moment to reach for the Casket of Trickery. However, his right hand was more important to block the attacks he couldn''t evade and make sure that the Arcane Kunai would have a ce to return. Even if the Arcane Power stored inside the Arcane Kunai was massive, Liam didn''t feel like wasting too much Arcane Power on these weak Lesser Demons. The razor-sharp de cut through the Lesser Demons easily. The weapon moved extremely fast and it took only a trace of Arcane Power to further amplify the shing speed of the Arcane Kunai. That was exactly what Liam did in order to kill five Ordinary Shedim every three seconds using the Arcane Kunai. At the same time, the effect of the ck Tarthear Needles came in handy as well. Most of the ck Tarthear Needles were precisely aimed at the Elite Shedim and the Mutant Elite Shedim. They wouldn''t die from five ck Tarthear Needles, no less a single needle. However, theirbat prowess would decrease drastically. That was what Liam made use of to kill the strongest opponents without the need to face them for a longer duration. He wanted to quickly eliminate the threats in front of him to prevent getting attacked from the backside. Even if the others were able to hold back most Shedim, Liam was pretty sure that some of the Elite Shedim and Mutant Elite Shedim were capable enough to overwhelm the natives, push them back and create a big gap. That would be more than enough to cause Liam some problems. It was better to imagine that he was trying to conquer the underground tower by himself, rather than trusting the natives with anything. Imprinting this thought in his mind allowed Liam to defeat more than a hundred Ordinary Shedim, ten Elite Shedim, and three Mutant Elite Shedim in around five minutes. Using his Soultrait, while controlling the Arcane Kunai with his sheer willpower was already quite difficult. However, adding closebat fights with his left hand transformed into a w, while simultaneously using his right arm being as a shield made him feel exhrated. Furthermore, his right hand moving rapidly to catch and throw the Arcane Kunai and using the little gap in between to throw a bunch of ck needles injected with Arcane Power made things even more interesting. Multitasking outside ofbat had never been his forte, but he had always had the knack when it came to fighting. Nheless, his head ached a little. It was already much better than it had been in the beginning but he felt a little bit overwhelmed due to the multitude of tasks he had to do while paying attention to numerous things at the same time. Things were much better now that the battle was over, but if he was being honest with himself, he was a little overwhelmed due to theck of difficulties he faced while killing so many opponents in such a short period. It was as if his brain had turned into a supeputer or something like that. This feeling was certainly good, with the sole exception being the throbbing pain that showed no signs of ebbing. ''Is my Will stat too low, or is it because of something else?'' Liam wondered as he was trying to find out why he was feeling pain, in the first ce. It was not normal for his head to hurt just because he did too many things at the same time. But it was not as if he had ever fought as he did just now either. Thus, Liam deactivated his Soultrait in response, and retracted the Arcane Kunai before he calmly observed the situation in the main hall of the first basement. While his fight was over and his head seemed to hurt less, the others were faring much better than Liam could have anticipated. He had expected dozens of Shedim to break through the defenses of the six young humans but that couldn''t be more wrong. And, he was positively surprised by their resilience and fighting spirit. Not a single Shedim was able to break through the natives'' defenses, though Jennie looked like she was about to die. "Hm¡­" Chapter 59 Surprise ?Liam had not seen Jennie fight before today. He had yet to see her Soultrait as well. Thus, he was not really astonished to see her struggle to survive against the horde of Lesser Demons. There were close to a hundred of them and Jennie had only survived until now because she was giving her utmost to block off the narrow gap connecting the hallway with the main hall of the first basement. Liam chose to eliminate the Lesser Demons in the hallway next to the two hallways he had just cleared first. Jennie was to his right and Ludwig was to his left. Yet, oddly enough, Ludwig was faring decently. No Ordinary Shedim was able to get too close to him, and even the Elite Shedim seemed to be having problems facing the skinny student. That was quite a surprise and even made Liam feel a bit proud of his observation skills. Ludwig was constantly using Arcane Power which he circted through his body to reinforce his physical strength and senses to a certain extent. At the same time, he also injected arge amount of Arcane Power inside his ck Steel Weapon, sharpening it enough to cut through the ws of the Ordinary Shedim and to carve deep gashes in the ws of the Elite Shedims upon shing. ''Is his Arcane Power at S, or what?!'' Liam thought to himself, his eyes trained on Ludwig who continued to hack and sh with his weapon. Liam was pretty sure that he wouldn''t be able to waste so much Arcane Power even though he was half Devil with an extremelyrge storage capacity of Arcane Power. He shook his head after a moment and let Ludwig be. The skinny student could fend for himself, which was a good sign. As for Jennie, she was still struggling and a Mutant Elite Shedim was about to reach her through the masses of Ordinary Shedims that blocked its path when a cold voice rang in her ears. "Close your eyes!" Despite being eerily cold, the voice felt warm to Jennie who shut her eyes tightly, cingplete trust in the owner of the voice. A cold gust shot past her while a dazzling light erupted above her. The pained squeals of the Lesser Demons who were about to tear her to pieces rang through her ear, just to be overpowered by the slow and calm steps that approached her from behind. Several more gusts brushed past her face but she didn''t dare to open her eyes. Only when the Lesser Demons in front of her seemed to have turned silent all of a sudden did she dare to open them once again. What she saw in front of her was a literal massacre. Only five Ordinary Shedim were left alive. They had been pushed against the wall of the other side of the hallway and Jennie was staring right at them. "If you cannot even kill those five, you might as well die right here," Liam said as he retracted the Arcane Kunai from the body of thest Elite Shedim he had killed. Now that he was done taking care of the most problematic hallway, Liam could divert his focus to the other hallways. They had to be cleared quickly in order to finish the conquest of the underground tower sooner. Ludwig was doing better than Rex, who was struggling with his Soultrait. The lethality of Rex''s Soultrait was extremely high but it was not easy for him to control the bolts of lightning. Materializing something out of nowhere was much harder than altering something, which already exists inside the body, with the use of Arcane Power. Thus, it grew increasingly difficult for Rex to keep his focus on fighting the Lesser Demons in front of him when he was actually making big blunders with his Soultrait. Rex was the only one in possession of this kind of Soultrait, a trait that granted him the ability to materialize something with the use of Arcane Power and to use it as a means to amplify his attacks, or turn it into an attack itself! Rex''s Soultrait was a mixture of two types. It was an Elemental Creation Soultrait, and an Attack-type Soultrait. Both were usually hard to control and learn. However, once one learned to control such a Soultrait, the wielder''sbat prowess would skyrocket. However, for now, Rex was struggling. He wouldn''t die anytime soon but Liam wanted to give the student some pressure by shooting the Arcane Kunai and his ck Tarthear Needles past his head. Both The Arcane Kunai and ck Tarthear Needles found their designated targets, killing one of the Mutant Elite Shedims before the Arcane Kunai cleanly sliced through the Shedim''s flesh, piercing the skulls of a few more Ordinary Shedim before it returned to Liam. In the following minute, Liam killed a few more dozen Shedim before he walked over to Kian who was also struggling quite a bit. He could move fast thanks to his high stats and the agility-enhancing Soultrait but it was hardly possible for Kian to endure the stress that came from the pressure of fighting more than five opponents at the same time. Kian''s mind led to the biggest problem as he was trying to fight in the most efficient way, just to end up overestimating himself and underestimating his opponents. He had seen how easily Liam killed the Lesser Demons, which seemed to be more than enough reason for Kian to somehow believe that he was capable of the same. Kian wanted to show Liam that he was powerful and that it was worth investing his time in teaching him. He was not okay with Liam''s blunt refusal to teach them anything and ignored that Liam was simply not cut out to be an Instructor. Liam killed the Elite Shedim and the Mutant Elite Shedim in Kian''s hallway before he turned to the three students whom Liam had yet to offer a helping hand. Ludwig was still doing fine, which was still a surprise and the two other girls were not doing badly either. Olivia was about to finish up clearing her hallways and only Felicia seemed to need a little help. She was doing her best, fighting ferociously like a Tigress, though a tigress that was desperately trying to survive rather than one that instilled fear in the hearts of her prey. Liam killed the Mutant Elite Shedims and the Elite Shedim before leaving Felicia with the remaining Ordinary Shedim. On the other hand, Liam started the cleansing job, putting all corpses up for sale in his small but lovely shop! Chapter 60 Destruction ?While the others around him were still struggling to finish their battles, Liam collected and sold the corpses of the Lesser Demons. His selling price was not noteworthy and it was more than enough for buyers to empty their pockets a bit to meet the small demand other races had for the Lesser Demons. Liam didn''t care what the customers were doing with the Shedim corpses as long as he got his money. That was all he needed! "I am dead," Kian cursed the moment the final notification of hisst kill emerged in the corner of his eyes. Olivia, Ludwig, and the others were already sitting on the ground, panting heavily and their mouths wide open to breathe in as much air as possible. All of them were soaked wet in their sweat that seemed to trickle down their backs and temples in rivulets and they could hardly hold back from copsing on the ground and staying there. Contrary to thest two days, Liam didn''t lead the battle. For the first time in their lives, they had to fight these treacherous Lesser Demons, whose appearance was enough to cause nightmares, and they had already been forced to kill them in masses. Even if they could understand that Liam wanted them to learn from the experiences they had in the midst of fights, it was not exactly easy to learn something while one was trying to survive desperately. After all, their lives were on the line and a single mistake would render them unable to rectify it, ever! The only reason why they didn''t say anything to Liam was that they could clearly tell that his words and actions were not the same. Even if he said that he wouldn''t teach them and that he would let them die, Liam helped them indirectly, killing a few of the stronger Mutant Elite Shedim whenever it was obvious that they couldn''t handle the huge numbers of opponents alone. Liam didn''t act as if he was bothered by the ducklings'' gazes. They lingered on him as they were trying to figure out who the real person behind Liam''s facade of cool and obnoxious self was. It was hard to understand him, but one could roughly gauge a few of his personality traits. All in all, the natives were certain that he was a good person, no matter what his outer appearance and attitude suggested! Liam finished collecting the corpses before he started his research of the eight hallways. The hallways were constructed in the exact same way. That was at least what one could tell at the first nce. In reality, things were a little bit moreplicated as every single hallway was dotted with a few unique traits. One of the hallways was longer than the others, another one had a slightly different pattern upon the left wall. Another hallway was constructed out of the reinforced version of the basalt rocks and there were a few more hints that suggested subtle and tiny changes. It was not possible to see these minuscule differences in the hallways when simply walking from one hallway to another without being able to focus on observing the surroundingspletely. Of course, Liam wouldn''t be able to detect all changes under normal circumstances, either. What made a big difference for him was the fact that his Soultrait was unleashed right from the moment he started his research of the hallways. His Devil''s Eyes enhanced his eyesight, and his detection of Arcane Power and it was much easier for him to remove useless information that his eyes took in. Means of distractions were simply ignored and the obvious, yet inconspicuous changes were slowly unveiled, one after another. His Arcane Power was slowly consumed but that was perfectly fine. He was done with his research before the Arcane Power within him had dried outpletely. As for the areas in the hallways that looked different, Liam had marked them with scratches to identify themter. Now that he was standing in front of the long hallway, Liam was probably supposed to search for some key, lever, button, or some other object to open a hidden door that would lead them down to the second basement. However, Liam was not actually interested in ying ording to his sister''s rules. He retrieved the Keychain of Miniature Tools and used hisst bits of Arcane Power to erge the mining pickaxe. Without giving his sister''s petty tricks a second worth of his time, he began to strike the mining pickaxe against the basalt wall, hammering and pounding on it to destroy every single spot in the eight hallways that looked different. He wanted to make a big fortune from his little sister''s underground tower, after all! The more he could plunder from her creation, the more frustrated his sister would end up. At the same time, he would be able to make a fortune. Wealth and annoying his sister, since he couldn''t kill her right now, were the two most pleasant things he could think of. His little sister would never deliberately hand over something of value to him if she could avoid it. If someone were to force her hand over a Relic, the Relic would probably end up being something that could hardly be used by the majority of the people. This made things a little difficult, but Liam was not really picky when it came to hoarding treasures. Everything rare could be sold at an appropriate price as long as he found the right customer. His sister would never voluntarily give someone anything, which was also why Liam had been pretty sure that she would use petty tricks to hide treasures, or turn treasures into something that would be considered trash by most people. Unfortunately, his sister didn''t seem to have expected that Liam would get his hands on a different type of Soultrait than the one he possessed before. Otherwise, she would have hidden the treasures with much more thought and tact. A few hours passed in the blink of an eye and the natives had gotten some well-deserved rest. Liam''s Arcane Power was also mostly refilled but sweat trickled down his temples as he returned to his group with a bunch of items in his hand. The students had only heard Liam creating a loudmotion in each of the hallways, and now that he was done, he came back with a total of seven items. He pointed toward one of the eight hallways with a small satisfied smile on his face. "The staircase leading to the second basement is in this hallway!" Chapter 61 Second Basement& Treasures ?Liam didn''t think that it was necessary for him to exin what the items he had found were, and he didn''t really think of sharing them either. His finds were supposed to belong to him, in the first ce. However, there was an item he didn''t really need, so he gave it up. "Ludwig, take those and throw your sses away! [¡ºAprail sses¡»-Circleless C+ Rank- Description: Aprail sses are highly durable sses that regte themselves to fit the wearer''s needs. If supplied with Arcane Power, the Aprail sses will grant temporarily enhanced eyesight and the ability to determine the power level of the beings in your field of vision! Remark: If your eyesight is perfect, you will feel a little dizzy!] If not for the Remark, Liam might have worn the Aprail sses himself. It was pretty helpful if he could improve his eyesight even further after triggering his Soultrait. But he didn''t want dizziness to cause problems right in the middle of a fight. Three of the remaining six ''treasures'' were tickets that Liam tore apart without hesitation. [+100 Arcanium have been rewarded] [+75 Arcanium have been rewarded] [+25 Arcanium have been rewarded.] The tickets had been entirely ck without any description. It was not even unlikely that those tickets could have been dangerous. However, the exact opposite was the case. He made quick bucks with the three tickets, which left him with three more treasures that were more or less good. One was a farming hoe that adjusted its size ording to the amount of Arcane Power inserted. It could shrink down to the same size as Liam''s other Miniature Tools. That way, he gained a new Miniature Tool in his Keychains of Miniature Tools. The farming hoe was a Circleless B- ranked tool, which meant that it possessed a few more traits than the mere ability to simply transform its size! However, that was of no importance to Liam because he was pretty sure that he would never start farming in his life. He just secured it safely to make sure that he could sell it for a high price in the future. The remaining two items were decent but nothing too exciting. [¡ºKing of Stamina¡»-Circleless B Rank- Description: The Potion grants the user a sixfold eleration in the replenishment of Stamina. The effect willst for 180 minutes! Remark: You will consume more nutrition while the effect is active, and your stamina will be fully depleted once the potion''s effect wears off. The exhaustion that follows afterward willst between one to three hours!] [¡ºSensus Eara¡»-Circleless B Rank- Description: The Sensus Eara earring increases the hearing sense drastically. You will be able to hear a lot more than ever before! Remark: Loud noises are even louder!] The King of Stamina potion was quite useful even if he wouldn''t use it immediately. Liam was pretty sure that the potion would find its use in the future. However, the Sensus Eara earring made him second guess his decision of wanting to use it while fighting the massive horde of monsters upon reading the remark. He shook his head and looked at the ducklings. "Who wants the earring?" Liam asked while sharing the information of the Sensus Eara earring with everyone. Felicia and Jennie seemed interested so he let them decide who was going to pick the earring. He didn''t really pay much attention to their decision and approached the staircase that led down to the second basement instead. The staircase was narrow and winded down like a spiral. ''Usually, there would be traps by now,'' Liam wondered as he walked down the staircase in a slow and vignt manner. He was not scared of traps but he was careful since every step could lead to his doom. That was something Liam wanted to avoid if possible. Unexpectedly enough, Liam found himself evading a bunch of traps in the following ten minutes as he slowly made his way downward. Spikes shot out from the ground, arrows came flying at him out of nowhere and dazzling lights blinded him before more projectiles came flying in his direction. Liam evaded everything and he was still unscathed when he reached the second basement. However, what he saw in the second basement was enough for him to scowl. "A maze, seriously, sis?" It was not difficult to make out the maze since the staircase ended at a slightly elevated position that allowed Liam to imprint the entire maze in his mind. The maze was in a humongous underground hall that seemed to be as broad and wide as the gymnasium. It was simply gigantic, made out of basalt, and simply too frustrating to look at. Just looking at theplexwork of paths and walls was already annoying, but Liam''s eyebrows furrowed when he saw that the walls were constantly shifting and changing. The paths were lined with walls but that was not all as the roars and bellows of ferocious monsters from further down reached Liam''s ears not long after. There were also some statues, fountains, and other unique elements that jutted out of the maze at odd intervals, clearly visible for everyone on the elevated stone tform. Liam felt like snapping his sister''s neck but he had felt that every day for a very, very long time. He sighed deeply as he walked to the edge of the stone tform where another set of staircases led down to the starting point of the maze. His mood had hit rock bottom since he hated puzzles and things like mazes. They were means of confusion and disorientation, and it would be extremely difficult to determine the correct path, or where he was going in the first ce. He might actually be taking the right path just for the maze to fool him, shifting around to lead him back to the starting point. "This fucking bullshit¡­not with me, bitch!" He cursed once again while taking a deep breath. The basalt walls of the maze were more than ten meters high and extremely thick. He was giving it a try and climbed up the smooth walls using his ws to find something to hold on to. However, upon reaching the top of the maze, several projectiles whizzed through the air and would have nearly punctured him from every direction if he wouldn''t have jumped down to the ground in time. ''This will definitely not be fun¡­'' Chapter 62 Bitch Of A Sister& Hurt Pride ?In the end, Liam didn''t even think of being nice to his little sister, let alone being gentle with her creation. What he did on the first basement was just the beginning, and the basalt walls in the maze of the second basement were bound to meet the same or more gruesome fate real quick. ? He retrieved the Keychain of Miniature Tools and erged the Mining Pickaxe once again. There were a few things that attracted Liam''s interest on the second basement floor and he intended to take a look at all of them. He didn''t really care about the maze walls, which left behind the monsters and traps as the only nuisances. Of course, that didn''t mean the basalt walls of the maze weren''t noteworthy obstacles. They still were in his way, obstructing Liam and the natives from finding a way through the huge maze, by shifting and changing the paths every now and then, driving the beings that dared to enter it insane. But Liam didn''t think of using the obvious paths. He was more than willing to put some effort to raze everything to the ground. His sister''s anger and the rewards he would get on the second basement were certainly worth it. Thus, he started to mine through the basalt walls of the maze, not caring about the maze''s movements at all. Rather than using his brain, Liam preferred it this way. If he could use brute force to conquer the underground tower, he would do that instead of thinking and strategizing. It was much easier and lessplicated, after all. Kian and Red ended up helping Liam by purchasing cheap mining pickaxes for a few Arcanium. Liam didn''t ask them to help but he didn''t mind the helping hand. With his S-Rank Vitality, Liam could work tirelessly for a very long time. His Strength stat might not be the highest but he could work relentlessly. The others were not sure whether Liam was actually the God of Mining rather than a Devil-Human Halfling. After all, seeing Liam mining was certainly a sight to behold. A day passed in the blink of an eye and more than a quarter of the Maze had been destroyed. The destruction was not in an organized manner but Liam chose his path to tear the maze apart from the memories that were imprinted in his mind. When he saw the entire maze from the elevated position, he noticed that the ces of interest were unmoving. He had paved his way to these ces while Ludwig and the others seemed to disappear to the sides every now and then. Liam was not really sure what Ludwig was doing at first but he didn''t pay much attention to the natives, in the first ce. He found the ces of his interest, a bunch of Lesser Demons, which was quickly decimated, and a bunch of treasures that were, once again, hidden away. His little sister was definitely a petty bitch for hiding every single treasure, but that was nothing new to Liam. Using his Soultrait, the Devil''s Eyes, made it a lot easier to find the hidden spots. After all, the agreement between the Great Unification of the Nine Realms and the 10th Great Realm seemed to hint at the fact that there had to be hints of the hidden treasures lying around, no matter how minuscule the clues were. Of course, he couldn''t be sure of this term or the exact use in the agreement between the two parties but his sister would rather hide everything where nobody except her could find it than give up her treasures, no matter how worthless they were. That was enough reason for Liam toe up with his own theories. After close to 24 hours, Liam was finally tired as well. So far, he had collected more than 200 Arcanium in the form of ck tickets, he had defeated close to 300 Lesser Demons who had been roaming around the maze, and had also collected a few more treasures. Most of these treasures were not of exceptional value, but he could sell them for a decent price. There would always be buyers to purchase a bunch of treasures, especially when the items restricted others while wearing, or using them, without having a negative effect on the wearer due to various reasons. At the end of the day, Liam had yet to get his hands on a Lesser Relic, which was something he had expected to find in his sister''s underground dungeon. She was not the type of person who hoarded a lot of trash, usually at least. ''Did she buy a bunch of shitty items to make up for the quota?'' He wondered while lying on the floor. The others were resting as well, except Ludwig who was currently acting as a night guard. Ludwig couldn''t see much in the darkness of the destroyed surroundings but the torches they had ignited were quite helpful, giving him something to see other than the little patch around them that was illuminated by the campfire they had ignited to warm up everyone. While Liam had been thinking about the bitch of his sister, who intended to stir lots of trouble for him, and his actions that were just as brutal, destroying everything his sister had been working for on the second basement, he couldn''t help but stare at Ludwig. The young and skinny student continued to astonish him quite a bit throughout the day. Even if Liam didn''t really want to ept it due to his hurt pride, Ludwig was definitely in possession of more Arcane Power than his body could hold right now. While that hurt Liam''s pride, it was also extremely hard to imagine that a native from Haltan was born with Innately high control of Arcane Power and a high storage capacity. Haltan hadn''t been in contact with Arcane Power for eons. At least, that was what Liam had always been told. However, seeing Ludwig''s performance today, whether it was his fight against the Lesser Demons on the first floor, or how he easily released his Arcane Power outside his body to spread it out in order to find monsters and treasures, was certainly not normal. Even with a powerful Soultrait that was directly rted to Arcane Power, Ludwig shouldn''t be able to control the massive amount of Arcane Power inside him that easily. ''Was Haltan really cut off from Arcane Power for hundreds of thousands of years?'' Chapter 63 Ludwig, The Powerhouse ?It had beente at night when Liam and the others came to a halt. They decided to take some well-deserved rest after deciding on the rotation of the night watch and fell asleep on the cold floor. Only Liam and Ludwig were left awake, which was quite a surprise. Liam was pretty sure that the others had never been forced to sleep on a cold and hard stone floor, yet they were unmoving and rigid just like the stones they had been sleeping on. ''Is that how much you guys desire strength or do you want to stay by my side to have someone to depend on?'' He wondered while continuing to stare at Ludwig, who was ying around with azure currents that swirled around both of his arms. Even though he was on night watch duty, he didn''t really seem vignt of the surroundings. Of course, Ludwig was a bit rxed because he had already released awork of Arcane Power to make sure that he would be informed the moment something or someone approached them in a range of a hundred meters. Had Liam not been aware that Ludwig was intelligent, he would consider him a genius. No monster or Demon would think that Ludwig was actually paying attention to the surrounding area as he continued to y around with Arcane Power. ''Definitely an S-rank Arcane Power stat and a Soultrait rted to Arcane Power. Anything else doesn''t make sense!'' Liam told himself the longer he observed Ludwig. He triggered his Devil''s Eyes for a few minutes to observe Ludwig and watched the precise way in which Ludwig expanded his Arcane Power around their resting spot to form a security shield cum rm. It was extremely urate, and certainly not something anyone without Arcane Circle could aplish. The creation process of Arcane Circles was considered as ''Cultivation'' in some Realms and by some races, while others considered it a form of ''Training''. As for the Arcane System, it considered the existence of the Arcane Circle as some sort of ranking. Basically, it said that someone with two Arcane Circles would be a lot stronger than someone with a single Arcane Circle. Of course, the logic behind this was a little bit moreplicated. Arcane Circles were formed around the heart, and they strengthened the host in their entirety, drastically at that. There were several types of Arcane Circles. These types were basically a measuring stick to divide the quality of the created Arcane Circles, with the worst being Trash Arcane Circles. It can be created with only three Stats at [C], forming the weakest Arcane Circle around the heart, and providing the lowest benefits in terms of overall enhancements. None of that was important for Liam and the others since they would never create the weakest Arcane Circle, not as long as their heads continued to work properly. The moment an Arcane Circle was created, it couldn''t be fixed, upgraded, or destroyed. Meddling with it was highly risky and it would lead to severe bacshes. At the same time, it was not possible for the second Arcane Circle to be of a higher quality than the first Arcane Circle. To be truly powerful, it was best to strive toward creating a high-quality Arcane Circle. That was the only way to allow the Arcane Circles that followed suit to be of the same high quality as the first one! Yet, even then, Liam guessed that Ludwig''s control over Arcane Power must be superior to someone with one Advanced Arcane Circle. That''s how amazing Ludwig''s achievement was! Liam could see that Ludwig gained more confidence and that he was feeling a lot better and less tired than the days before. He seemed to have been struggling to control the massive amount of Arcane Power at first. But, right now, there were no signs of that struggle left behind. Ludwig gained confidence and he collected a bunch of treasures while walking through the maze in the second basement, which boosted his confidence even further. ''As long as your head doesn''t turn into a piece of decoration, you will make it far¡­though that''s problematic,'' Liam thought, almost instinctively considering Ludwig as a potential future threat. However, instead of doing something against Ludwig, he merely sighed and told himself that he wouldn''t end Ludwig''s journey even before it had started, in the first ce. Liam closed his eyes and rested for a few hours before it was his turn for the night watch. He went over to the Arcane Shop and browsed through the other shops as well to take a look at the goods that attracted his interest. There were a few items he wanted to purchase but most of them were simply too expensive. Right now, he wasn''t in need of anything in particr, either. He closed the shops with that in mind, put some firewood into the charcoal of the campfire, and retrieved the pan from his Keychain of Miniature Tools. Liam got hold of the half-butchered boar corpse which he had put up for disy to sell in his shop for an exorbitant price. He dissected it properly, drained all of the blood and he fashioned himself a meal. The fragrant smell of his dish woke the others. All of their stomachs rumbled nearly at the same time and everyone began to stare at him with puppy eyes. Saliva trickled down the corners of Felicia''s mouth, which caught Liam a little off-guard. He sighed deeply and reconsidered throwing the body of the boar at the hungry hoodlums of ducklings when he halted in his tracks as Ludwig stepped forward. "Even if you don''t want to teach us, please show us some tips and tricks on how we can survive in the Arcane Apocalypse. As for your payment, you can choose from any of the treasures, I''ve collected yesterday!" He said with a serious expression on his face. It was obvious that his offer was genuine and Liam tilted his head as if he was reconsidering it before he looked over to the small stash of items that belonged to Ludwig. Since Liam told everyone that the rule ''finders keepers'' applied in their group, he didn''t take the things Ludwig found, no matter how useful they may be. He had his own principles, and he was not yet desperate enough to forcibly take away the treasures of the weak and poor. "You do realize that some of your items are worth quite a bit even if you cannot use them properly, don''t you?" Liam asked in return, rather than giving Ludwig an answer. "I know, but I think that learning how to survive is more important!" Chapter 64 Sharpening ?Until now, Ludwig had gotten his hands on a bunch of things that he couldn''t really use. However, he had refrained from selling them until now. He knew that Liam would only give him 30% of the profits. That was simply too less for him because he was the one who found the treasures and he wanted to maximize the profit he could earn from selling them. Liam didn''t mind that kind of attitude. He wouldn''t give up on 70% of profits just because the other party was in possession of a shop as well. However, now that Ludwig had not sold any of the treasures he had collected, Liam had a big variety to choose from. He didn''t really like teaching, but he could demonstrate a bunch of things in exchange for the right type of payment. Of course, it had to be of use to him, otherwise, the deal would be pointless for him. "Give me the whetstone and I will show you guys a few things," Liam said while pointing at the thin silver whetstone. Ludwig had never used a whetstone so he refrained from using it to sharpen his weapon. It was more likely that he would end up cutting himself than properly sharpening his weapons. The ck Steel de was not dull either, so there was no need to force himself to use the whetstone. "It''s yours. But show me how to use a whetstone properly as well," Ludwig said, motioning Liam to im it for himself. Liam moved to the whetstone, picked it up, and smiled lightly. ''As long as Felicia learns how to cook some delicious meat rather than something that looks like meat but tastes like rubber, everything will be fine,'' He thought disgruntled, hoping sincerely that his cooking lessons, and butchering demonstration would be imprinted in the minds of the natives. Having personal cooks would be a pretty nice add-on. [¡ºXaltalite Whetstone¡»¨CCircleless Material A- Rank¨C Description: A fine-grained stone used for sharpening tools. The whetstone will automatically adjust its fineness and wetness ording to the amount of Arcane Power supply. It increases the de''s sharpness ridiculously, providing a temporary enhancement as long as the whetstone is used properly. Remark: Requires high control of Arcane Power. Weapons may shatter if not used properly. Don''t cut yourself. It''s painful!] Despite being an [A-] Item, the Xaltalite Whetstone was definitely hard to use. Liam recalled how he had used this type of Whetstone on the battlefield and that he had nearly cut off his thumb while hastily sharpening a weapon. He also recalled that the des of a bunch of weapons were so thin that they actually broke. That was how Liam had learned to only sharpen high-quality weapons made of the best materials with the Xaltalite Whetstone. "Your ck Steel weapon would have broken if you would have used the Xaltalite Whetstone without any experience," Liam informed calmly, supplying a tiny trace of Arcane Power to the Whetstone before he sat down on the ground. He moved a few stones around himself to have a small elevated tform in front of him, recing a table, before heid out the Arcane Kunai in front of him. Since the Arcane Kunai was already razor-sharp, there was actually no need for him to sharpen it any further. However, the reason for Liam to sharpen the Arcane Kunai despite his knowledge was the temporary enhancement the Lesser Relic could receive after being properly sharpened with the Xaltalite Whetstone. If his little sister got her hands on a good quality Xaltalite Whestone by chance, the temporary enhancement wouldst several hours. After adjusting the grit of the whetstone by injecting more Arcane Power, Liam reached the higher grits the Xaltalite Whetstone could reach. A higher grit of a whetstone would provide a finer edge and create a polished finished product. That was everything Liam needed for the Arcane Kunai. The Xaltalite Whetstone was already wet which was another one of its functions to never be too dry and create a slurry on the surface of the stone which was a great assist in the sharpening process. With the stone tform in front of him, Liam had a stable surface to work on. The stone tform was not wobbly and didn''t move around either, as long as nobody would throw themselves against it. Liam held the de at a 25-degree angle to the whetstone, and he started to move the de across the stone in a smooth sweeping motion. He started from the base of the de and moved it toward the tip while making sure that he maintained a consistent angle throughout the entire process. After repeating the process a few times, the flipped the Arcane Kunai over and repeated the process on the other side of the de. Liam checked the edges of the Arcane Kunai every now and then and polished it until the edge was smooth and the de cut even more cleanly through the designated targets. When he was satisfied with the edges of the Arcane Kunai, he wiped the de clean, which allowed him to see the tiny intricate patterns that seemed to have been imprinted themselves on the Arcane Kunai''s de. Usually, these patterns were not visible but Liam had activated his Soultrait to make sure that the temporary effect was granted to the sharpened Arcane Kunai. The only issue Liam had was that he didn''t have the right oil to coat the edge of the Arcane Kunai properly to fine-tune it. Fortunately, the Arcane System existed, which made it easy to purchase the oil he had in mind for a single Arcane Kunai. "Done," Liam said, looking up to the natives, who stared at the gleaming de with interest. Their thoughts were like an open book for Liam, who turned over to the corpse of the Boar. It was about time for him to show off his prowess as a cksmith and how to dissect the Boar''s Corpse by draining the meat''s blood and then proceed to show them all how to cook a decent meal. That way, he could leave these tasks to the natives in the future. Demonstrating everything once or twice before never doing it again was certainly a fair bargain, especially if it gave him the Xaltalite Whetstone as a bonus reward! He had definitely made a good trade! Chapter 65 Slaughter ?Butchering the remains of the Boar''s corpse felt just like dissecting a frog''s body. It looked quite simr as well. Ludwig and Olivia had once dissected a frog in biology. That had already been disgusting enough for Ludwig to vomit his breakfast on that day, and for Olivia to barely stop herself from throwing up. Things were changing quite quickly now that it was the fourth day of the Arcane Apocalypse. In thest 72 hours too many things had changed, including the lives of everyone on Haltan. The entire had turned upside down, forcing everyone to adjust or to die miserably. Liam willed the Arcane Kunai to butcher the corpse of the boar neatly, while he pointed out a few things that could be useful to his ducklings. "Since I doubt that you guys care much about the boar''s body parts, I will keep my exnation short. A boar''s meat is usually lean and a good alternative to pork. It is low in fat, high in protein, and rich in other minerals. A boar''s bones are strong and durable, which makes them useful for a variety of purposes. Think about the purposes yourself. Their tendons are very good for traditional medicine rted to joint pain and other ailments. Of course, that may only be rted to the Boars in the Overworld, but keep it in mind, nheless. Their muscles are packed with vor and you can use them for stews or soups to add vor and texture. As for the fat of boars, it can be rendered and used as cooking oil, or to make soap and candles, though I doubt that thetter will be of any help for you guys in the future." Once Liam finished his exnation of the important parts of a boar''s body with respect to nutrition, medicine, and other uses without wasting anything, he waited for them toment. But they only looked at him weirdly. Liam ignored the natives'' gazes and he began to speak about a few other things that had to be taken into consideration. This included the attack pattern of beings like Lesser Demons. Despite being weak, they were very social-interactive existences. One might not expect this from the Lesser Demons because many weird rumors about them existed, but that was a different matter. The vast majority of Lesser Demons were trained in some Basic Demon Combat Techniques that had been created by the most intelligent, and strongest beings of their race. However, since Ordinary Shedim, for example, were not able toprehend most contents of the technique, they were not able to exhibit a high percentage of the Basic Demon Combat Technique''s true prowess. Most Ordinary Shedim were only able to move in a specific manner due to the technique they had learned. They wouldn''t roam around wildly and would simply attack with the use of their wild instincts. As for the Elite Shedim and Mutant Elite Shedim, they were able to execute a higher percentage of thebat technique of the Shedim. Mutant Elite Shedim were a little bit different in that regard since they were mutants and usually in possession of morebat talent and instincts that allowed them to move more freely, not being limited solely to and relying heavily on thebat technique they had learned. That was pretty important in Liam''s opinion, which was also why he shared it with Ludwig and the other natives. Other than that, Liam didn''t share a lot of important things. He was pretty sure that he had shared more than his money''s worth, which was why he got up from the ground and made his way to the teau thaty behind the maze. Before entering the maze, Liam had seen the teau where many ck dots seemed to be gathered and roaming around haphazardly. Those ck dots were a massive number of Ordinary Shedim and more than a hundred Elite Shedim, which Liam and the natives noticed quickly as they finished thest hurdles through the maze. The teau they ended up on after passing through the maze was hundreds of meters in width and close to a hundred meters in length. That was more than enough space for the hundred of Lesser Demons to gather even if it was a little bit crowded. "How about you guys show me how much stronger you''ve gotten in these past few days?" Liam asked rhetorically, not expecting too much from the natives as he shot forward. Not waiting for an answer, he retrieved more than ten ck Tarthear Needles at a time and threw them at the closest Ordinary Shedim. With his Soultrait activated, and his mind fully focused on a smooth repetition of his needle throws, Liam ended up releasing more than fifty needles before he came in contact with the Shedim. His hands turned into long ws while the Arcane Kunai shot out from behind him. The Lesser Relic moved extremely fast, piercing through more than ten Ordinary Shedim before it returned to Liam, who threw it out once again. After the enhancement of the Xaltalite Whetstone, the Arcane Kunai turned into an indestructible de that cut through every opponent Liam targeted. It was near-impossible for the Ordinary Shedim to do anything against the Arcane Kunai as the weapon could fly much faster than the Shedim could react. Even the Elite Shedim began to face problems blocking the attacks of the Arcane Kunai. Their ws were not strong or sharp enough to block or slice through the razor-sharp de of the Arcane Kunai after it had been enhanced. Only the Mutant Elite Shedim were able to do something against the Arcane Kunai. They could move fast enough to block the Lesser Relic. Unfortunately, this required their full focus, and even then it was not possible for them to always block the attacks. Sometimes, the Arcane Kunai flipped all of a sudden, taking them by surprise. It made a sudden change in its trajectory, or a ck Tarthear Needle hit them, distracting the Mutant Elite Shedim, which inevitably caused their death in the long run. However, Liam didn''t leave all the fun to the Arcane Kunai and the ck Tarthear Needles. It was too boring to let his weapons do all the work, after all. He was willing to join the battle, which was exactly what he did. His w sliced through the vital spots of the Lesser Demons. They tore through the Shedim''s flesh, heart, and skull, ending their opponents in the blink of an eye. Liam didn''t even think of showing any mercy as he ruthlessly gutted the opponents that were attacking him from the side. He even pierced one of his opponents with the ck horn that jutted out of his forehead. The body of the Ordinary Shedim that was daring enough toe too close to him was tossed around like a toy, while Liam''s movements were getting wilder. As for his eyes, they were shining in ecstasy, glimmering like a bright gxy. ** If you want to support me use your golden tickets and powerstones. You can also visit my pa treon: Pa treon/HideousGrain More character images and nice chats about the HideVerse: https://discord.gg/EdsDgFVWwZ Link also in my description. Do you like it? Leave a review and add it to the library! Chapter 66 The Strongest Native ?Liam was not the only one who had joined the battle against the small army of lesser demons. The six natives participated in the fight as well. They didn''t rush forward as crazily as Liam, but they certainly did their job. Jennie, Kian, and Rex wielded their ck Steel Spears with great focus and dexterity while Felicia charged at the massive hordes of the Ordinary Shedim, swinging her ck Steel Saber around like a madman. As for Olivia, she wielded a light longsword that sliced through the heads and hearts of the Ordinary Shedim with ease. After listening to Liam''s pieces of advice, everyone paid attention to the fighting pattern of their opponents and was having a much easier time recognizing the familiar and repetitive movement patterns of the Shedim. It was obvious why Liam had such an easy time defeating the Lesser Shedim. All of them moved in more or less an extremely simr fashion, which Liam made use of with his Soultrait. The Devil''s Eyes could easily detect the moment the lesser demons were about to initiate theirbat technique. Now that they had gotten to know their movement set andbat style close to perfection by now, Liam knew where his opponents would move and what they would do. Neither the Ordinary Shedim nor the Elite Shedim was a problem for him anymore. He had created a perfect strategy to eradicate them all by himself, even if it looked like he was currently massacring his opponents with brute force and without any strategic n in his mind. Right now it might look like he had entered some sort of Berserk mode because of all the blood that had sttered on his face, and from the fact that his ws had dug deep into the flesh of the Shedim, reaping their lives. However, in reality, Liam waspletely sane. He knew what he was doing and acted like a madman intentionally as if the sensation of his superior power was slowly depriving him of his sanity. The attention of Kian, Rex, and Jennie was drawn over to Liam every now and then. They got goosebumps every now and then, and they could hardly fathom what was going on in Liam''s mind. But that was not something they had time for, either way. Dozens of Shedim were trying to reach for the natives, tear them apart and feast on their tender flesh. They had to focus on their survival and the fight ahead of them, otherwise, they would turn into the lesser demons'' delicious snack. Rex shot toward the left while triggering his Soultrait. A golden bolt of lightning materialized at the top of his ck Steel Spear. He intended to use the golden bolt of lightning as an enhancement for his ck Steel Spear, making sure that no Shedim would be able to block his attacks. However, the moment he thrust the ck Steel Spear into the chest of the closest Ordinary Shedim, the golden bolt of lightning dischargedpletely. It turned into a projectile that tore through the Ordinary Shedim''s body and burst open the moment the bolt collided with the ground. The brute force of the impact was enough to cause a drastic reaction where all Arcane Power was affected by the golden lightning bolt. The golden lightning bolt expanded with the use of the surrounding Arcane Power, creating an explosion of electricity that turned into a big cloud covering a range of a few meters. "Oh shit!" Rex shouted out loud as more than a dozen notifications popped up in the corner of his eyes. He swallowed his saliva and triggered his Soultrait once again, repeating the same process once more. However, this time, Rex tried to intentionally cause the explosion and figure out the mechanism behind it. There were many things for Rex to learn, but he saw a ray of hope now that he had a rough direction to go. Rex began to use his Soultrait over and over again, discharging golden lightning bolts in the most crowded areas within his range of attack. His eyes were shining with excitement and the corners of his lips were curling upward as he was slowly starting to gain more confidence to defeat the horde of lesser demons around him. Rex didn''t need Liam''s help to defeat a bunch of lesser demons anymore! This was the most exciting part and he was looking forward to it. In fact, it was even better than finding out one way to use his Soultrait! His control was not great but it was better than nothing. The efficiency with which he fought his battles increased drastically, and so did the consumption of his Arcane Power. Using his Soultrait while fighting the lesser demons in front of him by wielding the ck Steel Spear, and trying to figure out how to make sure that he wouldn''t be drained of his entire Arcane Power was not easy, but Rex was pretty sure that he had done a good job. That was the truth. He did better than Jennie and Kian, who were struggling quite a bit. None of them had the means or the strength to fight against such massive numbers of opponents. While wielding their ck Steel Spears, they were merely able to kill one opponent after another. Kian was much faster because his Soultrait was fully unleashed, elerating his agility until his body couldn''t handle it any further. Jennie could only kill two to three Ordinary Shedim a minute, and that was already her best performance. She had given her utmost but the mental pressure and the fear she felt were too hard to ovee. Jennie knew that she had to grow stronger, as fast as possible preferably, otherwise, she would be left behind and probably be their food. However, the Shedim were too frightening. They were quite terrifying, and Jennie couldn''t understand how the others were able to ovee their fear and inch closer to the terrifying lesser demons to kill them. Seeing the lesser demons were already repulsive enough to make her want to bolt away in the other direction but she managed to refrain from doing that and slowly advanced toward the deadly beasts. Without the restrictions her mindset and mentality put on Jennie, she would be able to defeat far more Ordinary Shedim. She may even be able to analyze the movements of the Ordinary Shedim and create a few movements to counter the Ordinary Shedim, defeating them at a much faster rate. That way, she would earn more Arcanium, could potentially enhance her strength by purchasing a few goods from the Arcane Shop, and be a proper member of Liam''s group. But since she was not able to ovee her struggles, the disgust that swept through her entire body while looking at the grotesque Shedim, Jennie couldn''t do more than she was currently capable of. ** If you want to support me use your golden tickets and powerstones. You can also visit my pa treon: Pa treon/HideousGrain More character images and nice chats about the HideVerse: https://discord.gg/EdsDgFVWwZ Link also in my description. Do you like it? Leave a review and add it to the library! Chapter 67 The Strongest Native (2) ?Despite fighting close to each other and without the use of any special means other than the ck Steel Spears they grasped tightly, the fighting efficiency and final results of their fights werepletely different. Jennie may not possess the worst stats but she was certainly the weakest in Liam''s group. Her fighting proficiency was barely nonexistent. It was already a wonder that she was still alive. That was probably the only advantageous result of her fights. Jennie could survive and kill the Ordinary Shedim that would kill her otherwise, but that was already it. Kian was different in that regard. He could ignore the ghastly looking monsters by considering the Shedim as his money-making tools. This enabled him to get over his unease and attack them with fast and smooth movements. With his Soultriat activated, he could defeat an Ordinary Shedim every two or three seconds. He was truly fast, which couldn''t be underestimated, not even by Liam. To make sure that he would not get surprise attacked from anywhere, Kian moved around while killing the Ordinary Shedim that came the closest to him, while swirling the ck Steel Spear around his body. Kian''s fighting proficiency had increased drastically. He could roughly gauge the movements of the Ordinary Shedim and how to get over the drawback of their numerical disadvantage while fighting hundreds of opponents while their number was actually in the single digits. Kian''s progress was exceptional, to put it simply. He would have never expected to be able to kill so many opponents in such a short time either. Interestingly enough, Kian could pretty much tell that he could not yet utilize 100% of his Soultrait and that he could be an even betterbatant once he found the weapons and a fighting style that suited his Soultrait the most. While Kian was fighting with his body''s strength, Rex did theplete opposite. The most difficult for Rex was to make sure that he would never use his entire Arcane Power. He knew that he might need some Arcane Power if something unexpected were to happen. He really didn''t look forward to dying, so he stashed some Arcane Power for emergencies. His fighting efficiency was higher than Kian''s, though not by much. On the other hand, Felicia was slowly gaining momentum. She was trying to wreak havoc and obliterate the lesser demons, and it worked out decently well. Herbat prowess was not yet on par with Olivia but it was only a matter of time before the reckless and destructive fighting style of Felicia would be honed and perfected enough to overpower Olivia. Olivia, meanwhile, was not focused onparing herself with anyone. On the contrary, she focused on herself and tried to create a fighting style that required little movements with exceptional efficiency. Her subtle movements were enough to decapitate an Ordinary Shedim, and it was not too difficult for her to evade the attacks of the Elite Shedim, drain their power by inflicting small injuries all over their vital spots before delivering the final blow. Olivia retained her energy while defeating her opponents, allowing her to fight much longer than anyone else. She was not struggling at all while maintaining a frightening consistency in her movements. However, even then, there was someone with an even higher fighting efficiency than Olivia. It was only obvious that Liam was much stronger than the rest but there was a native amongst his ducklings who was quite good. Ludwig, the frail young student, who had actually forgotten his fellow ssmates in the chaos of the battlefield, was actually faster and even more consistent in killing the lesser demons. Ludwig seemed like a mix between a Berserker and a mastermind. He gained even more momentum in the battle against the Shedim than anyone else. Using the knowledge he had gathered from his own analysis and the information Liam shared with all the natives willingly, he gained tremendous strength. His stats had increased as well, but the difference was not worth mentioning. The increment in his stats was not enough to push him to the top. Rather than his stats, it was his tactical mindset that allowed him to officially be the strongest native in the group. Ludwig could urately predict the Shedim''s next move ording to the analysis he had made. And without wasting a moment, he immediately sliced through the air with his halbert, shing through several ordinary Shedim at once before backing out. He retreated, readjusted his position, and waited for the best opportunity to attack once again. Repeating the process of attacking, retreating, adjusting, and aiming for the opportunity to attack once again, Ludwig killed close to 150 Ordinary Shedim in five minutes. And he didn''t simply focus on killing Ordinary Shedim. Ludwig killed two Mutant Elite Shedim and almost ten Elite Shedim in these five minutes as well! Five minutes¡­That was what it took to defeat the small army of Shedim. As for the final result of everyone''s hard effort, Liam was ranked at the top, followed by Ludwig, and Olivia, both of whom killed close to or more than 150 Shedim. So far, Felicia had killed less than a hundred Shedim which was a bit less than the Shedim Rex had finished off, but she had focused on the Elite Shedim because they were the most exciting to kill. As for thest two spots, Kian killed roughly 60 Ordinary Shedim and four Elite Shedim, while Jennie killed only 10 Ordinary Shedim in total. Liam didn''t really care who killed how many opponents but he was quite astonished by Ludwig''s rapid progress. He was pretty sure that his advice had been helpful to a certain extent. However, Liam was also not delusional enough to think that his advice was enough to boost Ludwig''s progress so drastically! ''His control of Arcane Power is too terrifying for him to be a native human. Who the hell is that smart ass?'' Liam wondered while seeing the remnants of Arcane Power that were released from Ludwig''s halbert. He hadn''t seen Ludwig fighting but it was quite obvious that the young smartass had yet to create his own fighting style. Ludwig was currently just doing what his instincts told him. That was at least the case when it came to his decision of how to attack and how to move while attacking. As for everything else, Ludwig had visualized each of his encounters with the Shedim in his mind before they actually urred. That was definitely not normal! Chapter 68 Lucky Mouse ?After the teau of the second basement had been cleared, the natives had more than enough time left to spend however they wanted to. Liam was busy collecting one corpse at a time and depositing it in his Small Shop where they would be sold for a cheap price. The reputation of his Small Shop had skyrocketed in thest 24 hours. He was clearly getting more visitors taking a look at the avable items in his shop before they would leave. Most visitors took only a short nce at his shop before wandering to the Arcane Shop but that was exactly what Liam wanted. Thus, he continued doing what he had to do; selling most of his gains for a cheap price. He had spent more than three hours replenishing his Arcane Power and collecting every single Shedim corpse from the teau. In the meantime, the others rested a little before they adventured into the maze. With an ordinary iron pickaxe in their possession, they didn''t have to fear the shifting walls of the maze. They could create their own ways, which was exactly what they did in order to search for more monsters and treasures. Once Liam was done, he found arge mountain of armaments, consisting of various types of essories, armor, and all kinds of weapons, or tools. There were also a bunch of books next to the stash of armaments, and it looked like the Natives had gotten hold of new equipment which they were wearing already. "You guys are quite lucky," Liam pointed out, but everyone turned over to look at Jennie and Ludwig. "Jennie is probably the only one with great luck. She found more than half of these things. As for Ludwig¡­he seems to be finding things by ying around with his Arcane Power," Olivia rified while trying to hide the bitter undertone and slight jealousy in her voice. The others might not notice the bitterness in her voice, but Liam could hear it clearly. ''Jealousy is poisonous as well.'' Liam thought before he shrugged, ''But it can also be used as fuel to strive for more and push yourself.'' "I doubt that you guys want to carry around all these things as we venture down to the third basement," He pointed out while observing Ludwig and Jennie who were holding the goods and standing next to each other. "Can you sell all these armaments for a decent price, not your weird low-range prices?" Ludwig asked while intentionally adding, "Of course, 70% of the profit will belong to you, while the rest is mine!" Ludwig''s voice had a tinge of arrogance in it. He was already arrogant before, but that had been mostly rted to his academic and financial achievements. It had never revolved around his physical feats because there had never been anything for him to boast about in that regard, in the first ce. "Just tell me what''s yours and I will sell them, but don''t expect too much. Most of those armaments seem to require special conditions to be met in order to be worn. They might be functional and even good Circleless B Rank armaments, but their value won''t be as high as you may expect," Liam rified while turning over to Jennie once again. She was the one he was the most surprised about. He didn''t expect Jennie to be a golden mouse, who could find treasures everywhere. That made up for her miserablebat prowess, a little at least. "I...I want to sell my stuff as well¡­but I want to share my portion of the profit with everyone¡­" Jennie mumbled, trying to build up eye contact with Liam just to flinch whenever she managed to look into the terrifyingly cold eyes of the Halfling. Liam nodded his head, waited for the loot to be divided by Ludwig and he then ced those items in his shop for a price that was fair but also attractive for many. He had only five slots to sell items, and three of them were already upied by the corpses of the Ordinary Shedim, the Elite Shedim and the Mutant Elite Shedim. It would take a while until those exhibition slots would be freed, which meant that they had to spend a little bit more than one hour sitting on the ground of the second basement''s teau. There was actually not much for them to do right now either way. Liam had to focus on his small shop, which meant that he couldn''t start scrolling through the other shops and the Arcane Shop to search for the best goods to purchase. Rather than rushing things, he chose to rest a little and analyze the individual strengths, power and progress of the natives who chose to follow him. He didn''t really have anything against their presence, but he believed that he would get too soft if he were to open up to them. That was not what he wanted since he had to be strong and undefeatable, without a single weakness, if he wanted to be as strong as possible in the shortest timeframe. His mother''s side of the family wouldn''t allow him to grow stronger, and they would do everything it took to drag him down. This included killing those important to him. He had already witnessed something like this in the past, unfortunately. It was better for him to be all by himself and not let anyone get close to him. That way, he could let go of the shackles of his responsibility towards them and seek vengeance all by himself without pulling anyone into his mess! "Why are you so stubborn?!" Felicia asked, her voice climbing an octave as she stood up from the ground, staring down at Ludwig. Her expression was like that of a hissing cat, but Ludwig didn''t seem to be too bothered. He didn''t even bother to look up at Felicia, whose cheeks started to turn red in embarrassment. It was fine if Ludwig were to start fighting with her, verbally of course, but being ignored was simply too humiliating. Was she not even worthy of a nce now that he was stronger than the others? She stomped her foot on the ground and stared at Ludwig as a sudden thought emerged in her mind. ''Should I just kill him?'' Chapter 69 Nonsense ?"Just tell me how you''re able to control your Arcane Power so precisely! Don''t even get me started on how it is baffling for me to see you possess so much Arcane Power, but your control is impable as well. There has to be a secret!! Share it with us and we will be able to be much stronger. It is a win-win situation for us all, right?" Felicia pointed out a few facts while trying to sound reasonable. Her cheerful attitude had slowly disappeared during the past few hours. She was pretty sure that she was not ugly, and that Ludwig was just one of the perverts from school. Shouldn''t he be happy that she was showing some interest in him, even if it was just the secret behind his sudden progress? Felicia felt like screaming out loud after being ignored for nearly five hours straight. Something like that had never happened before! Even Kian and Rex felt that it was a little out of the ordinary that Ludwig ignored Felicia. Something like that would have never happened before the Arcane Apocalypse. However, now that the world had changed it looked like Ludwig''s mind seemed to have adjusted to the changes quite well. He was still frail but not as much as before. His attitude and presence had made a 90-degree extreme turnover that astonished even Liam. Liam was not sure how long it took him to be like Ludwig when he was as inexperienced as the young Native, but their upbringing had been different which made it difficult to make aparison between the two of them, either way. Ludwig remained silent, only to look up when Olivia got up from the ground as well. She stepped closer and sat down near him. Her eyes darted at Ludwig whose head turned in her direction as well. "What?" He asked, trying to sound extremely confident just to end up staring nkly in the eyes of the girl everyone had a crush on in the past. Ludwig was the same. He had crushed hard on the cold woman who rarely smiled. However, on the rare asions when she smiled, warmth filled the hearts of everyone witnessing the smile that was bright enough to steal the hearts of those around her, no matter how strong their will was. Seeing that the most beautiful girl of the school and the acknowledged Queen of the Golden Land''s South was looking intently at him, clearly showering him with her interest, Ludwig was unable to keep his facade. "You don''t want to share your secret with us? Please~?" Olivia asked, trying to act a little cute. She hated herself for acting like this, but she knew from rumors and television shows that guys loved this type of behavior. Apparently, they would reveal anything as long as someone cute would talk to them that way. Liam stared at Olivia''s unusual and coy behavior for a few seconds before he diverted his focus back to the Small Shop. While selling all kinds of goods that were amassed around him, he continued to listen to Ludwig''s exnation. He wanted to know how Ludwig was able to control his Arcane Power with such precision even though he was a native human! "My Arcane Power stat is at the S Rank. I don''t know why but that''s how it is. Furthermore, I have an exceptional Soultrait that is fully focused on passively increasing my Arcane Power storage capacity and control of Arcane Power. That''s why I can control the Arcane Power I release from my body as well. As for the increment in my strength, it''s not really something worth mentioning. I used my Arcanium to purchase a few items to increase my stats and analyzed the movements of the Shedim ording to the advice given by Liam. That way, I could urately predict the repetition of the Shedim''s movements and a few more facts that I made use of while swinging around the ck Steel Halbert." Ludwig exined. His exnation sounded extremely simple, even for someone like Liam. It was as if Liam had given an ultra-short summary of how he had defeated hundreds of Lesser Demons by himself without saying anything else about how he defeated them, what kind of Lesser Demon race he had encountered, and if there were any Demon Warriors amongst his opponents. Theck of details made Liam frown, just like a few crucial missing pieces of information that didn''t really make sense. But he didn''t think that Ludwig was trying to lie to them. On the contrary, Ludwig seemed to be genuinely under the impression that his words were nothing but the truth. However, fact was that his words didn''t really make much sense and that they were far from what reality looked like. ''You are still a Circleless Human. Even if your Soultrait were to be a fucking Burning Star, it wouldn''t be hot enough to kill someone with an Ancient Arcane Circle. Soultriats are the traits of a Soul, and they''re getting stronger with you¡­it doesn''t make sense¡­Your control of Arcane Power is literallyparable to a Demon with an Ancient Arcane Circle¡­'' The Soul grew alongside the host''s power. Creating Arcane Circles strengthened the entire being, which included the Soul, and subsequently, their Soultraits. Soultraits would get stronger, possibly even evolve, mutate, or whatsoever ording to the Arcane Circles that were created around the heart of the Host. They wouldn''t be overwhelmingly powerful from the beginning because no vessel was able to endure the power of a fully Awakened Soul from the get go. After all, possessing a fully unsealed Soul could be considered one of the requirements to create an Immortal Vessel. The power of a fully unsealed Soul was too potent and it would destroy anybody''s body. Liam was the only one who knew about this in their group of seven but he didn''t want to intervene in their conversation. After all, he might get wind of more important intel that he may not be able to otherwise acquire by interrupting their discussions. ''There is something else that nobody knows¡­at least nobody from the Nine Realms,'' Liam figured while ignoring the slim possibility of his mother not sharing any information about Haltan with her children and the rest of her family. Even if his mother hated him, he had always been forced to join their family discussions when it came to conquering Haltan. Thus, Liam knew everything they knew, and that was more than enough to know¡­that not even the Monarchs, Emperors, and Empresses of the Underworld knew anything about the things that were unfolding right in front of him. ''Just who are you?... What are you?'' Chapter 70 Canines ?Ludwig was a mystery to Liam but he didn''t allow that to distract him too much. While he was busy listening to the conversation of the natives for quite a while, thest armaments were finally sold. Everyone had rested long enough to get up and move to the third basement. Thus the group made their way through a small tunnel that led them to the third basement. Once he was inside the tunnel, Liam detected all kinds of traps which he avoided rather easily. Since the natives were still quite inexperienced he was about to warn them about the traps, not expecting them to discover them. However, Ludwig discovered all traps easily and deactivated them one after another. After the traps were deactivated, Jennie quickly moved from one area to another, searching for treasures. Her gut feeling was spot on when it came to treasures and soon found two keys and three ck notes that rewarded her with Arcanium. Liam could tell that Jennie had earned a lot of Arcanium through the ck tickets by now. Jennie didn''t look excited at the sight of the ck notes and tore them apart without taking a second nce at them. She was more interested in the keys which she handed over to Liam as the leader of the group. Liam didn''t really feel like being their leader but everyone, including Ludwig, was well aware of Liam''s strength and knowledge. They were also in the underground tower of his sister. He should know a lot more about his sister''s behavior and petty tricks than anyone else. However, it was Ludwig who easily found out and alerted them of all the traps, not him. That was why Liam couldn''t really understand what was going on in the heads of the natives. Were they even thinking properly, in the first ce? Liam didn''t know but he couldn''t care less either. The only thing that attracted his interest right now was Ludwig''s Arcane Power, his control of it, and how easily he detected each trap. Liam detected the traps as well by using his Devil''s Eyes Soultrait but that was not the same. When they emerged on the third floor, they were greeted by a bunch of Shedim. But this time around there were no Ordinary, Elite, or Mutant Elite Shedim. Instead, they were facing arge batch of Canine Shedim. There were different types of Canines in the third basement but all of them had pale, mottled and burned flesh that was covered in ck scales. Each of them had eerily long fangs and their legs were adorned by ws that could cut through the ck basalt that was found in abundance on the floor, walls, and ceiling. Some also had wings that they could use. The Canine Shedim were much faster than the Mutant Elite Shedim, but that was not even the biggest problem. Upon entering the third basement floor of the underground tower, Liam discovered numerous pictures and other stuff. His eyes darted toward the traps he had discovered at once. His royal purple eyes that gleamed like a sealed gxy detected everything without a problem. This also meant that he noticed how the Canine Shedim were able to run through the traps'' triggers without activating them. ''You yed like this, sis?'' Liam asked himself rhetorically while retrieving one of the many Lumina Needles in his possession. "Light!" He shouted as a warning for the others while throwing the activated Lumina Needle forward. His hands reached out for the ck Tarthear Needles and the Arcane Kunai obeyed hismands. Everything happened at the same time as a dazzling light filled the entirerge hallway that was flooded by the Canine Shedim. Liam threw more than a dozen ck Tarthear Needles at the Canine Shedim while the Arcane Kunai shot forward, slicing through the neck of the closest Lesser Demon while Liam sted forward. Rex released a big bolt of lightning toward the most crowded area of the Canine Shedim, creating a domino effect at the moment of impact. Three Canine Shedim were killed by the explosion that urred just a momentter, while more than ten Canine Shedim were thrown back due to the bolts of golden lightning that spread out. Liam took note of everything and he started to fight fiercely. After he had killed more than four Canine Shedim, the dazzling light of the Lumina Needles dispersed. Only then was Liam able to see once again. That was roughly what he had expected to happen. However, what he didn''t expect was that Ludwig would appear next to him, shing a smile as he cut down the Canine Shedim with his halbert that vibrated violently because of the Arcane Power that flooded every nook and cranny of the ck Steel Halbert''s de. Liam took note of that but he chose to ignore it for the time being. Kian was the next to appear beside Liam. He was not as efficient in cutting down the Canine Shedim, but it was already good that he didn''t die. After all, the Canine Shedim were considered as superior existences to Elite Shedim. They may not be stronger in terms of raw strength but they were wild predators that had lightning reflexes and sharp instincts that turned them into fearsome creatures. As for the sharpness of their fangs and ws, that was self-exnatory, and clearly visible to the eye! Kian fared pretty decently, pushing forward while using the generated momentum to pierce the ck Steel Spear at the closest Canine Shedim with the intention to drill the de deep inside the Lesser Demon''s vital points. After his weapon connected, Kian would twist the spear de inside the Canine Shedim before retreating quickly. As for Felicia and Olivia, they were doing decently as well. They joined the fight a second or twoter but theirbat prowess and fearlessness of the razor-sharp ws and fangs made it clear that they were ready to put their lives on the line in order to kill and advance. Liam implemented this kind of fighting style for himself as well. He would rather attack than be forced to defend, which was what could be seen quite evidently. He used all his might to push forward and eliminate as many opponents as possible in the shortest timeframe. However, there was only one problem with the others. They were not able to see the traps as well as he could. Thus, as time progressed, the natives were getting too full of themselves and Kian pushed further ahead, oblivious to the trap that was less than a meter away from him. "Step back, you idiot!" Chapter 71 Traps ?"Step back, you idiot!" A loud warning rang through the entire hallway. The remaining Canine Shedim had yet to be killed and it looked like Liam and the natives were just a few seconds away from victory when the loud warning caused everyone to hesitate. Liam''s movements didn''t halt but he knew what the warning was about, to begin with. However, it hadn''t been Liam who issued the warning. On the contrary, it was Ludwig, who had shouted out loud when Kian was about to trigger one of the many traps that could be found in the hallway. Kian halted in his tracks and looked back to Ludwig who stared deep into his eyes. "What?" He asked, not hiding his annoyance. Ever since Ludwig had grown stronger, he had gotten cocky. Kian didn''t like this kind of behavior, even less from someone like Ludwig. Nheless, the worry in Ludwig''s eyes was apparent and an obvious indicator of the danger he was in. But instead of shouting out a word of advice, Liam threw a ck Tarthear Needle in Kian''s direction, triggering the trap the athlete had nearly activated on his own. A huge de whizzed down from the ceiling of the hallway, cutting through the bodies of three Canine Shedim. Kian''s eyes widened in shock as he looked at the remains of the guillotine that would have beheaded him easily. He swallowed his saliva after a few seconds, recovering from the shock of his near-death while Liam jumped across the huge de that spanned across the entire width of the hallway, which was close to seven meters. [Canine Shedim(Feral Dog) has been yed] [+0.5 Arcanium] [Canine Shedim(Inferior Frost Wolf) has been yed] [+1.2 Arcanium] [+1 Arcanium] [+0.8 Arcanium] [...] [...] Liam ignored the messages that popped up in the corner of his eyes. All kinds of Canine beasts could be turned into Lesser Demons with the use of certain rituals. Liam knew that the Canine Shedim had once been an ordinary monster that had evolved into the Shedim they were now. The wide variety of Canine Shedim was also the reason for the big difference in the Arcanium he earned from the kills he made. His gains were pretty decent, much higher than expected, but it didn''t really interest him a lot anymore. He was more focused on conquering the third basement and raiding it in its entirety. That was his n and he wouldn''t allow the traps to foul his n. Thus, Liam slowly triggered the traps one after another once he figured out what kind of trap had been installed. His movements were quick and nimble, and so was his analytical ability, quick and smooth. In the following ten minutes, Liam finished the remaining Canine Shedim with the help of the natives, who had gotten a lot more careful while fighting their way through the hallway. Only Ludwig was as enthusiastic as before and was trying hard to keep up with Liam. Ludwig could detect the traps early and either avoid them or intentionally trigger them as well. However, Ludwig was not as confident as Liam when it came to determining the type of trap. Thus, he rather avoided them while issuing small warnings to his fellow students, and Jennie. Jennie had already stopped fighting. She couldn''t keep up with the pressure and would rather search for hidden treasures than anything else. Doing what she was good at was the best help she could provide, quite literally. Once they were done clearing the hallway to the center of the third basement''s main hall, a handful of Lesser Demons entered their sight. However, Liam didn''t even think of paying too much heed to them and he quickly threw a Lumina Needle high in the air, dazzling everyone while simultaneously triggering several traps inside the main hall. Several poisoned arrows shot out from small holes in the walls all around the main hall. A few five-meter-long and more than one-meter-tall metal des shot down to the ground, slicing through the Lesser Demons without any resistance, while spikes pierced out of the ground. A few parts of the main hall crumbled due to the impact and broke apart as well, creating a huge hole that was set aze. "That''s quite interesting to look at," Liam thought out loud as masses of messages flooded him. Taking a look at the main hall of the third basement, Liam could tell that this floor was mostly rted to puzzles and traps. However, as he was not someone blessed with an adventurous spirit, let alone the slightest bit of interest in solving puzzles by putting his brain to test, Liam ignored everything around him. "Do you guys want to spend some time solving these riddles?" He asked, looking over to Ludwig and Jennie, one being a great talent when it came to Arcane Power, and a smartass, and the other being a little girl who was good at finding treasures. Ludwig nodded his head in response almost immediately, "I thought that you wanted to ensure that your sister will get angry when she finds out that you took everything of value with you. Let''s do that, just give me a few hours and I will have some puzzles solved!" While Ludwig looked at Liam with the confidence he had amassed within thest few days, Jennie''s hands were already filled with treasures. She stumbled through the hallway and nearly fell over a bunch of Canine Shedim corpses before she ended up in front of him. "If you want to make some easy money, sell these treasures and give me enough time to collect more. I am confident of finding more again!" She said, trying to rival Ludwig and turn him into herpetition. However, Jennie failed miserably at sounding confident, but that didn''t matter. "Is your Soultrait rted to finding treasures?" Liam asked bluntly instead, just for Jennie to shake her head, "I have yet to awaken my Soultrait. I was not as lucky as you guys¡­" Liam didn''t expect that Jennie hadn''t awakened her Soultrait yet. He thought that every Native would have their Soultrait awoken as an apology from the Arcane System. The apology was about the Arcane System not being able to stop the Arcane Apocalypse aka the infiltration of the Nine Realms. Thus, it wanted to reach out a helping hand while simultaneously apologizing for troubling the Natives. That was at least what Liam had been told. However, it looked like not everyone''s Soultrait was awoken immediately. The reason behind this was unknown even if Liam was able to make a few wild guesses. "So you''re currently saving up for that, in hopes of finding something that will either negate your fear of fighting, or a means to avoid fighting altogether, right?" Liam guessed, which was approved with a nod. Jennie didn''t really want to fight, which was quite obvious. However, if she had to fight, she would ept it by receiving a great Soultrait that allowed her to feel less disgusted and frightened. Furthermore, she would like a nonbat Soultrait for herself nheless. "We should all hope that you''ll receive a nobat Soultrait then," Liam said, losing interest in the conversation with Jennie. It would be great if she were to awaken a Soultrait rted to Support, or a Soultrait that was directly rted to finding treasures. That way, she would be a valuable asset no matter how much of a deadweight she was in a battle. Of course, one would have to utilize a nobat Soultrait properly for it to be valuable. But something like that was what Liam was very good at; finding ways to make use of situations, people, and Soultraits to his benefit! Chapter 72 Main Part ?Clearing the third floor was not further difficult. It was pretty easy to find a way down toward the fourth basement. Liam didn''t even have to spend ten minutes before he got down to the fourth basement to take a look at the situation. What he saw in the fourth basement was enough to understand one thing for sure; the fourth floor was the final floor. The underground tower had only four basements from the looks of it. As for the lowest basement, it was protected by arge number of Shedim and the Boss Monster. Boss Monsters were existences whose strength had been artificially enhanced by providing them with a tremendous amount of Arcane Power and various other means. If the Boss Monster would have been an Ordinary Shedim, its strength would be elevated to rival that of Mutant Elite Shedim. That was how terrific the potency of a Boss Monster''s amplification truly was. Liam couldn''t see the Boss Monster of the underground towerpletely but he presumed that it was a Shedim, presumably a Shedim Warrior. What he could notice was a huge pair of hooves. Other than these few things, Liam had yet to find out more about the final basement floor of the underground tower. There was still some time left before he would actually enter the fourth basement to conquer it and that gave him more than enough time to find out a few more things about the opponents they would face soon. While he made his analysis of the situation with his Devil''s Eyes, Ludwig, Olivia, and Jennie collected a bunch of treasures by solving various puzzles. Ludwig was a smartass and he had excellent control of the massive amount of Arcane Power inside him. That was also what turned him into the most important yer in the raid of the third basement. Every single corner was filled with puzzles, with each of them leading to a different hallway. These hallways were filled with traps, treasures, and more variations of Shedims. Liam was not actually sure why the only Lesser Demons in the underground tower were Shedims, but he presumed that his little sister had made some sort of deal with their Monarch. Other than that, there didn''t seem to be a reason for his little sister to bring only Shedim to Haltan through the underground tower. But then again, Liam also understood that he didn''t have much to go on about anything other than the pieces of information he collected when attending the Grand Congress of the Underworld where only the most prestigious families could participate. These prestigious families were required to have a Devil King in their family register or as the head of their household, at the very least. But even then, they wouldn''t have much power to say anything, let alone to bring someone weak and useless to participate in the Grand Congress of the Underworld. Liam''s family was a ''little'' uniquepared to other households. They could do whatever they wanted, which was also why they dragged Liam to the Grand Congress. At the end of the day, it was a good experience for him to be there. He got to know and learn a lot, which he tried to make use of now that he was in Haltan trying to be stronger as quickly as possible. While Ludwig was having the time of his life, raiding the third basement with his wits, Arcane Power, and strength that seemed to keep increasing over time, the others didn''t stay idle either. Olivia opened a few hallways by solving various puzzles as well. She, Felicia, Rex, and Kian conquered the Hallways by carefully advancing through the hall while killing the Shedim they had encountered. Facing two or three Lesser Demons at a time was still fine. Their stats increased slowly with the utilization of their Arcanium and by naturally going beyond their limit for hours. More than 72 hours had passed since the Arcane Apocalypse had dawned upon Haltan, and a bunch of their stats had increased since then. This gave them even more motivation to tire themselves out and continue exceeding their body''s limitations. They were tired again when Liam returned from his scouting trip to the fourth basement floor. "Looks like you guys had some fun," Liam noted, his eyes trained on Ludwig and the treasures they had collected. None of the equipment was better than the things he owned, though there were a few Miniature Tools that he added to his Keychain of Miniature Tools after telling the others that he would give them a bunch of Arcanium in return. The others didn''t need the tools, to begin with. It was pointless to carry all of it down to the fourth basement where they would turn into deadweight rather than an invaluable asset. With the Arcanium they could increase their stats a little, at the very least. That was something Liam considered as well, but he was decently satisfied with his current stats and the amount of Arcanium he had umted. In fact, after selling the treasures collected by the natives, Liam''s fortune had skyrocketed even further. As for his stats, his Will had increased twice since he entered the underground tunnel, and his Agility once. It was decent progress and was something Liam had hoped for after running around that much, and multitasking with the Needles, his ws, and the Arcane Kunai whenever he joined a fight. ?¡ª-?Entity Details??¡ª-? [Liam Wandel] [Halfling] [Devil/Human] [Rank: Circleless] [Soultrait:¡ºDevil''s Eyes¡»] [Arcanium: 781.5] ¡ª¡ª¡ª-?Stats?-¡ª¡ª¡ª [Vitality: (S)] [Strength: (E-)] [Agility: (E)] [Stamina: (E-)] [Arcane Power: (D+)] [Will: (E)] ?___________________? Liam was not sure what the stats of the others looked like but he knew that they must have progressed as well. From his point of view, it was only a matter of time before things would get more intense as well. Not only was everyone who tried hard and worked relentlessly slowly gaining more strength, but the first natives would create their first Arcane Circle in no time. Liam had yet to encounter any powerful being from the Nine Realms either. For now, he was quite lucky to be able toplete the ns he had in mind without encountering anyone with an Arcane Circle. It was only a matter of time before this would change, but he was preparing for it. Slowly and steadily, the pieces of the puzzle were being put together and he was one step closer to figuring it out. Chapter 73 Jennies Awakening& Final Floor ?"It''s a nonbat Soultrait that helps me discover treasures much more easily," Jennie said, taking in a ragged breath while looking hopefully over to Liam. Jennie had just finished umting 1000 Arcanium and she used them up to initiate the awakening of her Soultrait. For Liam and the others, it was hard to decipher that her Soul was being awoken, but the sweat that trickled down her temples and back, and the pained expression that kept her twisting and turning for close to half an hour was evidence of the pain and agony she was going through. She kept her focus on Liam who nodded his head. He gave her a thumbs up. "Remember that I have four picks!" Liam pointed out, which caused Jennie to press her lips together in a thin line. She had hoped for a better reaction, even if it would have been just a slight smile in her direction. However, the reaction he gave her was too ordinary and as if he was not happy or impressed at all. Liam was actually quite satisfied, but it took a little more to make him feel happy. It was a feeling that had died within him a long time ago. Rekindling it would definitely require more than Jennie awakening a useful Soultrait, or the fact that he had to pay only a little over a hundred Arcanium to fill in the gap to buy her the Soultrait awakening, in exchange for picking four treasures that she would find in the future. It was a win-win deal for both, though Liam knew that he benefited more in the long run. Overall, he was quite satisfied with the progress of the group. He had to acknowledge that it was a decent idea and a fair bargain to take the natives with him rather than rejecting them or pushing them away. They were quite useful, especially in the third basement where they solved all puzzles before selling all the goods they had procured. Ludwig was starting to hesitate to sell his finds because he was slowly amassing more Arcanium. Liam predicted that Ludwig nned to create his own Small Shop so as to make more benefits since Liam sold all goods for a pretty low price while only handing them a meagre profit of 30%. Ludwig wanted to encash all the money for himself and have a say while setting the selling price of goods he had found. Liam didn''t really mind Ludwig''s ns but it was a little hard to digest Ludwig''s rapid development. He was showing signs of getting too arrogant and that could turn into a big problem. ''For now, it''s still fine, but I might have to kill him sooner orter,'' He told himself, understanding the situation very well. After Jennie''s Soultrait awakening was over, she found a few more treasures that were very well hidden. Not even Ludwig''s extraordinary control of the massive amount of Arcane Power allowed him to sense the existence of the treasures, or the small spots in which they had been hidden. She handed everything over to Liam who sold the treasures for a decent price. Jennie might be a deadweight when it came to fighting, and survival overall, but she was definitely a golden mouse in finding treasures, now more than ever before. ''Even if the others were to leave, I should make sure that Jennie stays by my side¡­'' Liam thought while analyzing the development of the natives thoroughly. There were a few things he noticed but he didn''t think of mentioning them for the time being. Maybe his problems would solve themselves! "Let''s go down. A thousand Lesser Demons or more are waiting for us!" Liam said, sounding quite rxed. There was no need to be extra worried. He was confident of defeating the Lesser Demons in the first room of the final floor. Thus, he calmly descended the helix staircase that spiraled all the way down to the final floor. It was mostly dark and hardly anyone could see anything as they made their way downward. Liam was able to see in the dark, even better after he activated his Soultrait. The Devil''s Eyes'' passive effect provided a considerable improvement in the eyesight despite being surrounded by utter darkness. However, the active effect was much stronger, obviously. The further down they walked, the better they could see. Glowing miasma filled the ground of the final floor. The Natives were afraid of the miasma because it was of a bright green color but Liam stepped through it without any worries. He took a deep breath and circted his Arcane Power through his entire body. ''To think that the final floor is filled with something like this,'' Liam marveled, feeling pretty sure that his little sister was actually a genius. He didn''t really mind the miasma because it was filled with Arcane Power but the natives were unable to bear the pressure created by the surplus of Arcane Power. They had never experienced something like this, which made it much harder for them to bear it. Of course, Ludwig was an exception to the rest of the crowd. When it came to Arcane Power, nothing could really affect him, or so it seemed at least. Ludwig stepped through the miasma confidently and a glint of excitement emerged in his eyes. "I feel like killing all those Lesser Demons by myself!" He shouted out loudly, charging past Liam while enhancing his physical strength by circting arge amount of Arcane Power through his body. The consumption of his Arcane Power was further enhanced as the ck Steel Halbert was filled with it. However, Ludwig did not pay attention to that and simply gritted his teeth. He charged blindly into the horde of the Lesser Demons that had taken note of them. There were all kinds of Lesser Demons, with the majority of them being Elite Shedim and Ordinary Shedim. There were also close to a hundred Mutant Elite Shedim and even more Canine Shedim than that. ''What a fool! He will tire out even before half of them are finished off,'' Liam thought, turning around to Rex. "Shoot your golden bolts of lightning in the most crowded areas while staying behind with Jennie," He ordered Rex before looking straight into Jennie''s eyes, "Supply him with enough potions to make sure that he always has enough Arcane Power to keep up his rapid fire." Afterward, Kian, Felicia, and Olivia looked at him, expecting some specialmands for each of them as well. However, Liam didn''t even think of doing that. He looked at them with a raised eyebrow and muttered, "Don''t die!" "..." Chapter 74 Berserk ?The fourth and final basement floor was separated into two halls. The halls were connected through a huge hallway. From an elevated position, one could clearly see the ancient gateway that was supposed to separate the two hallways. However, the ancient ck gate was not closed. Lesser Demons kept pouring out of it, aiding the Lesser Demons in the first hall as Liam and the Natives hacked and shed their way through the Lesser Demons that easily numbered more than a thousand. The first hall waspletely manmade and constructed to look simr to an arena. It was an underground arena that was the size of the Colosseum. It was circr-shaped with arge open space in the center. The walls and ceiling were made out of the same basalt that could be found everywhere in the underground tower. There were even a few rows of seating arrangements that doubled up as walls. The walls were further built into tiers, rising up around the perimeter of the arena. Liam could clearly see the Lesser Demons that had been idling around in the seating area. They were now making their way to Liam and the Natives, or they were trying to at least. It would take them a while before the Lesser Demons at the seating arena would get the chance to fight them. The lighting was dim but it was better than expected thanks to the Mist of Ara. It was damp in the entire arena and the musty odor hung heavy in the air all over the fourth basement floor. Blood, intestines, and body parts began to cover the floor of the arena that had once been void of even a speck of dirt. ? Looking over to his left and right, Liam tried to create a perfect understanding of the fourth basement''s infrastructure. He had already done so from an elevated position, which helped him a lot in understanding where he was and what was going on. However, seeing something from an elevated position was a tad bit different from standing on the ground while being surrounded by dozens of Lesser Demons that were trying to tear him apart. The entire arena was filled with thunderous noises, quite literally. Meanwhile, Rex and Jennie stayed behind at the helix staircase. Jennie was currently holding more than ten potions in her arms, and trying to hand them one after another to Rex, who was already sweating profusely. Liam looked at this with amusement. He understood that Rex''s Soultrait was hard to control and that the bacsh of using the Soultrait repetitively was not easy to get over. However, Liam couldn''t really care about that, if he were to be honest. Rex had to go beyond his limit and endure some pain if he wanted everyone to survive. He would be rewarded with a generous amount of Arcanium, whether he would kill the Lesser Demons with the explosion of his golden lightning bolts, or just injure them through the huge chain reaction that followed after the explosion. In thetter case, the electric currents would jump over and create a chemical reaction with the Arcane Power that hung in the air around the explosion. The damage caused through the golden lightning bolts was tremendous, and it allowed everyone to face their opponents with much more ease. At least that was what they expected until they saw how Ludwig fought against a massive number of opponents. It looked like he was in a state of Berserk, caused by the overutilization of Arcane Power. The bright green Miasma around him was forcefully pushed aside, reced by an azure hue that was being naturally released from Ludwig. The tremendous amount of Arcane Power he unleashed was not something Liam could unleash even when he had been in possession of one Arcane Circle, let''s forget about when he had no Arcane Circle. Ludwig''s fighting style had changed to adopt a brutal destructive fighting style that was focused on overpowering his opponents and tearing them apart. Liam couldn''t help but look over at Ludwig every now and then. He analyzed Ludwig as if he was one of the opponents he would have to defeat sooner orter, because that was exactly what would happen in the future. To Liam, it was apparent that he would have to fight Ludwig in the future. The moment they shed even once, their rtionship would go for a toss until it would lead to the inevitable. Liam was already preparing for the worst, and was ready to kill Ludwig at any moment. At the same time, he focused on his own fight as well. He understood that Ludwig had challenged him indirectly. Liam made noment on the challenge but that didn''t mean he would allow anyone to take away his prey. He was at an advantage in terms of equipment, and understanding of his powers, and hisbat experience was close to 18 years as well. He fought everything whether it was human, monster, devil, or demons with equal fervor. There were even a few members of other races whom he had fought head-on. There was no way that a greenhorn was able to attain a higher fighting efficiency as he could reach! Liam thought about making use of the hugework of corridors running around and beneath the underground arena, but he chose against it. The underground arena''s atmosphere was filled with grandeur, ancient history, and mystery, all of which prevented Liam from fighting dirty to some extent, at least. He sighed deeply, allowing the Arcane Power within the nchal Silk Gloves to circte through his hands transformed intorge ws. Since his Vitality stat had increased to [S], his ws seemed to have grown a little bit in size. He was not too sure how his Vitality was rted to the length of his ws because they had never grown in the past when he had been much stronger, but that was not the most important point right now. What was of utmost importance was to ughter his opponents, tear them apart with all his might and obliterate every single one of them! Excitement surged up from the deepest parts of his heart and a wave of adrenaline rushed through his veins, flooding him as he burst forward. The Arcane Kunai resonated with his emotions and will, and it swirled forward while spiraling at a terrific speed, turning into a razor-sharp drill that cuts through the eyes, necks, and hearts of the Lesser Demons that obstructed the Lesser Relic''s way. Chapter 75 At Deaths Doors ?More than half of the Lesser Demons in the underground arena were defeated quickly with thebined efforts of Liam, Ludwig, and the other Natives. Everyone contributed in their own way when it came to obliterating the Lesser Demons, and nobody overdid it, well almost nobody. While Kian, Felicia, and Olivia were doing their utmost to make sure that they could defeat as many opponents as possible without endangering their own life, Ludwig was the exact opposite. He didn''t worry about the Shedim around him and viciously cut everyone in his way apart. His fighting style, if one could call it such, purely consisted of destruction. There was no poise, or elegance in his movement. But that was not something Ludwig required to mercilessly butcher hundreds of Shedim in less than half an hour. Most of the opponents Ludwig defeated were Ordinary Shedim and Elite Shedim but that didn''t really matter much when it came to demonstrating his dominance over the Lesser Demons. Liam, on the other hand, focused mostly on increasing his Arcanium while fighting. He tore the Canine Shedim and Mutant Elite Shedim into pieces while making it seem as if it was a mundane task, something that was not worth his time. As long as he kept the Mutant Elite Shedim and Canine Shedim at bay, he would earn the most Arcanium. The corpses of the Ordinary Shedim and Elite Shedim fetched him more Arcanium than they would bring him for killing them. The opposite was the case when it came to the Mutant Elite Shedim and Canine Shedim. Killing them was worth more than the Arcanium their corpses would fetch. Furthermore, only he was able to defeat them with great precision. Ludwig was in a Berserk state where he was influenced by the Arcane Power that surged through his cells. Ludwig''s Arcane Power intensified the outburst of adrenaline and other hormones as well. This made it more difficult for him to control himself as he continued to pave his way through the masses of opponents. Liam was still in full control of himself, aiming precisely at the strongest opponents instead of letting rage overtake him. He chose to ignore Ludwig and the challenge the young Native gave him indirectly. There was not really a need for him to lower himself to Ludwig''s level. The Native was getting too arrogant and full of himself. That was clearly visible as he rushed past Felicia, who had been surrounded by more than six Elite Shedim but seemed to be faring decently. A single mistake would still lead to their death but she was faring well enough to defeat the Elite Shedim on her own. Yet, the moment Ludwig shot past her, the ck Steel Halbert nearly did what the Elite Shedim were not capable of; the Halbert''s razor-sharp de nearly cut through Felicia''s neck, beheading her in an instant! If not for Felicia''s fast reflexes and the premonition she felt at that moment, her head would be rolling over the ground and her body would be one more addition to the growing piles of corpses that littered the ground. "Ludwig!!" Olivia shouted out all of a sudden, her voice filled with coldness. It was the first time anyone to see Olivia like this. Her movements elerated and she rushed over to Felicia, who had lost her bnce as Ludwig''s sudden attack forced her to evade it in a way she would have never moved under normal circumstances. Ludwig''s attack killed three Elite Mutant Shedim, which had been his targets, in the first ce. As for his opinion of Felicia, Ludwig couldn''t really care less whether she would turn into Arcanium that filled his bnce even more upon kiling her, or if she was alive. If she wanted to survive, Felicia should pay more attention to her surroundings and make sure to avoid the strongest fighters when they saved the day! There were still three Elite Shedim around Felicia and they pounced at her as she lost her bnce. Olivia knew that she would need a few seconds to reach her friend. It would be toote by then. The thought that one of their ownrades would be at fault for their death caused a me of rage to ignite deep inside Olivia, whose emotions drove her to fight with more precision. Almost every sh initiated by her killed one Lesser Demon in her way. Hope arose from within her, the hope to be able to save her friend. However, it was just at this moment that Felicia''s shrill cry rang out from the surroundings. One of the Elite Shedim had managed to dig its ws deep inside her shoulder and it was ready to bite off her head. Holding the saber tightly, Felicia continues to scream while using all her might to sh upward. Tears trickled down her cheeks and warm blood oozed out of the wounds but she ignored the pain and focused on the familiar tension of her de digging deep into the body of her opponent. The Elite Shedim on top of her froze in its tracks and copsed dead just secondster. In these seconds, Felicia was about to take a deep breath that was filled with the sensation of relief when the two other Elite Shedim pushed aside the body of their dying brethren. Her Saber cut into her hand as a result response, rendering her unable to do anything. Big fat drops of tears continued to stream down her cheeks as she expected the worst. The Elite Shedim leaned forward, their ws digging into her thigh and the other side of the shoulder while their heads lunged forward, their slimy tongues rolling out with the intention to feast on her. Felicia was overwhelmed with desperation and fear. Her mind went nk when the overwhelming and pungent stench of the Elite Shedims'' breath fanned her face. She gasped, making the putrid smell rise from her nostrils and shoot straight to her head. Felicia flinched, and she tried to move desperately to escape the grasp of the terrific Lesser Demons. However, nothing helped and death seemed imminent. The fangs of the Elite Shedims were only centimeters away from her and to Felicia, it felt like time had slowed down all of a sudden. Everything moved slowed while Felicia witnessed everything clearly as if only her time continue to run normally. At least that was the case until a blue de cut through the back of the head of the closest Elite Shedim, only to halt millimeters away from the wide-open eyes of the utterly shocked and desperate girl. Meanwhile, an emotionless, almost cold voice rang through her ears. "Looks like you gotta make it." Chapter 76 Too Arrogant For His Own Good ?Blood pounded in her ears and her heartbeat was so loud that everything in her head sounded like a torrent of water that brandished at a reef. Tears continued to trickle down her cheeks as the heavy body of the Elite Shedim crashed on the ground with a thud. The Arcane Kunai shot back to Liam, who had appeared a few meters next to Felicia. He looked coldly over at her, analyzing her wounds before he turned his head away. "Go over to Rex and Jennie," He added while his eyes moved over to Kian, who had just run the sprint of his life. Kian had killed the other Elite Shedim merely a quarter of a second after Liam''s Arcane Kunai pierced through the Elite Shedim''s head. Kian had used his Soultrait to its limit. This consumed a tremendous amount of Arcane Power but it also allowed Kian to cross a distance of over 50 meters in two seconds. That exceeded the limitation of his body by far, yet Kian endured the strain in a desperate attempt to rescue Felicia. It worked out as expected, but it was not as if the battle was over. Only by surviving the rest of the battle would it be possible for him to consider his rescue mission sessful. After all, one couldn''t consider a rescue mission sessful if the victim died as the aftermath of the actions that led to the rescue. Felicia was not yet in a more secure area either. Liam didn''t pay this any attention, knowing that the others would take care of Felicia. She was injured, but they were not severe. Her mind was likely to have the brunt of the attack. This was something he noticed at the first nce. However, the battle was not yet over, and it was not as if Liam would try to help Felicia out of her misery. She would have to get her act together and understand that a single mistake of hers and even the action of another person could lead to her death. This included the actions of her ownrades. Felicia had witnessed this first-hand and the others had seen everything quite clearly as well. Most were shocked, except Liam whose focus had already returned to the battlefield, and Ludwig, whose attention had never been disrupted in the first ce. In the following ten minutes, the climax of the battle died down and thest dozens of Lesser Demons in the underground hall were getting ughtered. Liam slowed down his fighting speed. He was still focused on the strongest of the Lesser Demons and was determined on killing them one after another. His attacksbined with the ck Tarthear Needles, Lumina Needles, and the Arcane Kunai were more than enough to defeat even the most annoying Mutant Elite Shedim. "I defeated you!" Ludwig dered proudly when Liam looked around to see if there were any more Lesser Demons to kill. The entire battle didn''t evenst an hour. That was pretty good, especially if one were to look at thebat prowess Ludwig had shown. Liam knew that Ludwig had been quite powerful and that his strength had increased after his body hungrily devoured the Arcane Power of the surroundings. And it surged inside his body as well as if he was a natural storage for it. That was pretty interesting, but Liam ignored Ludwig as he understood that the Native was still being controlled by the Arcane Power and adrenaline that continued to surge through him. Ludwig was bleeding out of his eyes and a crazed smile had appeared on his lips. ''I didn''t expect to see someone with an Overload so soon,'' Liam just thought while his eyes moved over to the others, who were focused on tending to the wounds Felicia had sustained. He didn''t think that there was a need for him to say anything. From the looks of it, they were doing perfectly fine. They had already disinfected the wound with a special disinfectant cream to clean the infections caused by Lesser Demons, a bunch of tight bandages and some other goods that may or may not be helpful. Knowing that his ducklings were fine, Liam began to collect the corpses of the Lesser Demons, while paying attention not to collect the corpses whose lives had been reaped by Ludwig. Ludwig red at Liam, which was enough to tell Liam that it would soon be time to kill the native. Ludwig was actually getting too arrogant for his own good and his time was ticking. That was not only what Liam thought, but it was quite literally what happened. Ludwig had gotten too arrogant for his own good! Feeling exhrated and as if nothing would ever be able to oppose a powerhouse like him, Ludwig turned to the open gateway that led to the second hall, where the Boss Monster of the underground tower was waiting patiently. "And I will defeat the Lesser Demons over there, as well!" Ludwig shouted out loud, seemingly in an attempt to attract some attention from the people around him by boasting about his prowess. He was still under the influence of the Arcane Power and adrenaline surged through him as he bellowed, "All by myself, you motherfuckers!!" Ludwig pointed over to the second hall where a bunch of Mutant Elite Shedim and Canine Shedim surrounded a muchrger Shedim who seemed to be waiting for the raiders toe and get him. At least that was what it looked like to Ludwig. Liam looked up with his Soultrait activated. He stared at the gateway and squinted his eyes when he saw something in the spot Ludwig was just about to step on. "I would be more carefu¡ª...." Liam began, just to shut his mouth tightly when his Devil''s Eyes discerned that Ludwig had already activated an old-fashioned trap that couldn''t be detected with Arcane Power. ''It seems like this problem solved itself just now¡­'' He thought, figuring that he had worried too much for no apparent reason. His problems were solved even before he did something. Ludwig''s Arcane Power had been spread out through the entire gateway that was not even fifty meters wide. It had enough space to let Liam and the six Natives walk next to each other and also leave some room for them to move around to fight. However, none of that attracted Liam''s attention as he stared at Ludwig, who had just stepped upon the trigger of the old-fashioned trap. A huge boulder carved out of basalt hurtled down to the ground with terrific speed. Liam could barely discern the boulder as it fell straight onto the trap''s trigger. As for Ludwig, Liam couldn''t see him anymore. The only thing he could barely discern was blood, and a ck Steel Halbert hanging on thest remnants of a hand, Ludwig''s Hand. And Ludwig¡­well Ludwig¡­he got mashed into a pulp. ** If you want to support me use your golden tickets and powerstones. You can also visit my pa treon: Pa treon/HideousGrain More character images and nice chats about the HideVerse: https://discord.gg/EdsDgFVWwZ Link also in my description. Do you like it? Leave a review and add it to the library! Chapter 77 Dead ?Time seemed toe to a standstill as the boulder smashed down onto the ground. Ludwig was squashed beneath the boulder, unable to escape the terrific trap he hadn''t detected. Liam stared at the warm blood that gushed out from below the boulder. His eyes moved to Ludwig''s hand and the ck Steel Halbert which was the only remnant of Ludwig''s body and possessions that was left intact. "He was too arrogant, yep," Liam mumbled, shaking his head. It was actually an advantage for him that Ludwig died like this but it was certainly not good that the powerful Native had met his death before they fought the Boss Monster of the underground tower. Jennie was too weak and scared to fight and Felicia had gotten injured in the process. That made things a little bit more difficult. It was not impossible to defeat the Boss Monster because Liam had initially nned to fight it by himself, but he would be forced to work a little harder without Felicia and Ludwig by his side. Liam walked over to the basalt boulder and looked for a trigger to release the boulder. He had to make sure that Ludwig was most certainly dead. If he was not dead, Liam would end his life. With his ice-cold eyes, he looked through his surrounding area where he found the trigger not too muchter. The basalt boulder was lifted back to its initial position and he saw bits of flesh and parts of Ludwig''s mashed body glued to the boulder''s bottom. "Yep, he is dead." Liam looked at the mashed remains of Ludwig''s body, nodding his head. He hadn''t often seen a body that had been mashed to such an extent but it was not as if he had never seen the disgusting remains of a body. He picked up the ck Steel Halbert, grasped Ludwig''s hand, and flung it over his shoulders. While circting bits of Arcane Power through the ck Steel Halbert, he nodded his head. ''You will be useful against the Boss Monster,'' Liam thought while attaching the halbert to one of the attachment slots at the back of hisbat suit. It was possible to attach various weapons at a wide variety of small hinges fastened on thebat suit without the need to be in possession of a scabbard or other means to keep a weapon safely. Liam''s attention moved over to the other natives. While Olivia paled at the sight of Ludwig''s body, or what was left of it, she was mostly focused on tending to Felicia, who had only heard what happened. Felicia was not on the verge of death but she couldn''t move much without worsening her injuries. She was only told what had transpired but hadn''t seen the body. However, that was already more than enough for her expression to distort into one of anger, frustration, and a trace of sadness, "I wanted to beat the shit out of him for causing my injuries¡­" Everyone heard her grumbling, but nobody said anything. Jennie had vomited on the ground next to Rex, who stared nkly at the remains of Ludwig''s body alongwith Kian. While they might not have actually liked Ludwig, that was not a problem right now. A member of their group had just died, squashed beneath a basalt boulder that smashed down onto him. Ludwig was a frail smartass, but he had improved the fastest since they had entered the underground tower. Everyone was certain that Ludwig would keep advancing at the same speed and that he would soon be an actual powerhouse. However, fate had something else in store for him. He died, just like that, unable to do anything against the force and weight of the basalt boulder. Life was unpredictable. A single mistake could take it away from anybody in an instant. Staying alive in the Arcane Apocalypse and everything that would happen afterward meant that one would walk on a tightrope high in the mountains, every day, bncing on the edge of fate. One misstep, and one would fall down into the abyss, leaving behind an iplete life and unfulfilled wishes. Liam learned early on that it was important to be mindful of every step he took, after all, life was fragile, and time was fleeting. There was no room to make a single mistake and make every second count. And the arrogance Ludwig had felt surging through his entire being was what killed him in the end. His overconfidence had been his doom, not the boulder. Liam had to change his ns now that Ludwig was dead. But before anything else, he began to collect the corpses of the Lesser Demons. The Lesser Demons killed by Ludwig would end up in his pockets, which was a pretty wee advantage. It was enough to motivate Liam to collect and sell the corpses in his Small Shop. His actions, starting from collecting the ck Steel Halbert to collecting the corpses of the Lesser Demons as if nothing serious had happened, were quietly observed by Rex and Kian. While Rex swallowed his saliva, unable to say something even after more than half an hour had passed, Kain''s cheeks turned red. He was furious and felt uncontroble anger just from watching Liam nonchntly collecting the corpses that were littered across the entire underground arena. "How can you feel nothing?!" Kian shouted out loudly. His voice boomed through the entire underground arena, his anger clearly evident for everyone to hear and see. The others looked over to Kian, who was fuming in anger. "How can you be so emotionless and inhuman? Don''t you feel anything about Ludwig''s death?" Kian continued to shout. Liam straightened his back and he looked over in Kian''s direction. "Do I have to feel something about his death?" Liam asked in response, his voice sounding especially cold and emotionless at this point. He felt that Kian was a hypocrite for demanding from him to feel sad about Ludwig''s death. It was quite obvious that nobody in the group actually liked Ludwig, which only worsened his mood as his arrogance grew alongside his strength. Was it actually necessary for Liam to feel sad about the death of someone he would have to kill sooner orter, either way? Liam didn''t think so, and he made his point clear! ¡­ Chapter 78 He Deserved It! ?"If not for the boulder, he would have created more trouble for you guys in the future, and even more so for me. At the end of the day, I would have killed him if not for him inviting death himself by being too smart and arrogant for his own good!" Liam revealed openly, not even bothering to try hiding what he had in mind. Nheless, his gaze flicked to Felicia seemingly in an attempt to show what Ludwig''s actions had caused. Liam didn''t really think that it was necessary for him to care about Kian''s opinion, but the young athlete should be able to put two and two together. In the near future, Ludwig would have caused more problems, possibly killing everyone in the group. That was not the reason why Liam would have killed Ludwig sooner orter but he could leave that out for the time being. It was not necessary to share every single thought he had in his mind with others. Kian opened his mouth and he was just about to say something when Olivia got up from next to Felicia. "He deserved to die!" She said, in a determined voice, relieving the tensed-up anger that had umted within her as she added, "If not for the boulder taking his life, I would have killed him!" Olivia''s deration was filled with coldness and pure wrath. Nobody had ever seen Olivia like this, not even Felicia. Kian looked at her, apparently bbergasted. His mouth opened and closed several times. He wanted to say something but he couldn''t really get himself to actually voice out what was on his mind. In the end, Kian looked to the ground, while grumbling to himself, "Nobody deserves to die like this¡­can''t we retain a little bit of our humanity?" Liam heard what Kian said and he couldn''t help butugh. "If you think that it''s inhuman not to care about his life and death, you really have to learn a lot in the next few days, months, and years. Forget the life you had before the Arcane Apocalypse because it will never return. You can keep your ideals for yourself, but you won''t be able to force them onto others. In the Nine Realms and Haltan, the only thing that matters is to survive and to kill, or get killed. Ludwig made a stupid mistake and his death was what followed suit. The strongest survive, not the most arrogant!" Liam rified, his eyes staring daggers at Kian who was still with the others, more than a hundred meters away from his current position. "Like, seriously¡­how can you feel nothing? I mean, at least feeling a little sad that you lost a valuable asset that could help you kill the Shedim would be enough¡­" Kian blurted out, unable to keep his mouth shut. He just couldn''t understand Liam''s attitude or his indifference. It was inconsistent and didn''t really make sense to Kian. Liam had to agree that though he did not feel any remorse, things had gotten a little moreplicated with Ludwig''s death. At least that was the case when it came to finishing the raid on the underground tower. On the other hand, Liam didn''t have to trouble himself with fighting and killing Ludwig. In that regard, things got a lot easier. Thus, he didn''t really bother being sad or honoring Ludwig''s death with any kind of emotion in the first ce. "Was Ludwig your best friend?" He thus asked Kian, who didn''t expect to receive such a question. "...No, he was not my best friend. I didn''t really like him, in the first ce¡­but how does that matter?" Kian retorted, continuing to show his anger and frustration. Liam''s hand slowly slipped to the Casket of Trickery, feeling the itch to retrieve a ck Tarthear Needle and to end this annoying discussion by eliminating Kian for good. However, he chose against it, thinking that it would be a hassle to have one more death and cause further ruckus just before they reached the Boss Monster of the underground tower. "Then let me tell you something that will show you quite clearly why I don''t give a fuck about Ludwig''s death. After all, he is a nobody to me!" Liam replied after he took a deep breath to reveal something that he would have never expected to tell the ducklings. "I lost every single person I loved, and most of them because of my mother and eldest brother. While I was on the battlefield, they got hold of the only people I loved in my entire life. They took them hostage in order to capture me when they thought that I might be useful. They thought I was valuable enough to be paid attention to once again. When I arrived at my mother''s pce, she and my eldest brother beheaded my best friends, their family, and the woman I loved right in front of me¡­They killed everyone I loved¡­" Liam stared deep into Kian''s eyes as he took a pause to take another deep breath. He tried to keep his emotions buried in the pits of his heart like always but that was much harder than he wanted to acknowledge. The emotions had bubbled up and reached the surface of his consciousness, fueling the anger, rage, sadness, frustration, and guilt of having been too weak to do anything, of having been unable to do anything to protect the people he loved¡­all these emotions slowly resurfaced and they caused Liam''s otherwise neutral expression to morph into one of unbearable pain. "I know what pain is, and I know what it means to lose everything you fought for. I KNOW what it means to be thrown aside, discarded like a used tissue, and forced to heed the exact same people who abandoned me when they thought that I might be useful once again. I KNOW what it means to be detested, ignored, feared, and even hated by the people around me. After all, I''m a misfit, something that was never supposed to be born, an existence that should have never seen the light of the day. I know what I have to do to get my revenge, and I will do everything in my power to do that," Liam said, his voice growing colder and colder as he added, "I warned you guys about the dangers of the Apocalypse, but you guys don''t seem to understand how unpredictable life is even after mindlessly killing hundreds of Rats, Meheks and Lesser Demons. Either you get your act together and use your guilt, anger, sadness, and frustration as fuel to be stronger, or give up and get out of my fucking sight!" "I don''t need a fucking weakling questioning my emotions¡­" Liam bellowed, his voice thundering through the underground arena. Olivia and the others flinched and subconsciously retreated due to Liam whose presence was unbearable even from a distance of close to a hundred meters, and Liam was not even speaking to them. Their heads moved in unison over to Kian, whose body had begun to shake. His eyes quivered as Liam''s Devil''s Eyes stared into the depth of his soul, nting a nightmare seed, that was filled with fear of the things Liam would to do him if he were to ever question him again. "...and I will fucking kill you if you ever dare to question me again. I have put up with enough of your stupidity and entitled behavior. Shut your mouth, or I will make sure that you will never be able to open it again!" Chapter 79 Boss Room ?The most important question was whether Ludwig actually deserved to die like this or not, and whether it was fair to ignore his existence just like that. This could be answered rather easily. It didn''t matter whether Ludwig deserved to die by getting squashed by a boulder, or if he deserved to die in a different way. Fact was that he was dead and that the way he died was quite horrible. That was a matter of fact. As for whether it was fair to ignore his existence just like that only because he was dead, Liam couldn''t care less. After tallying the pros and cons of his death, Liam felt pretty sure that the result would end up with the pros outweighing the cons, by far at that. Of course, Kian didn''t think like that. He was bothered that Liam waspletely unfazed by the death of his teammate. ording to him, Olivia''s reaction was also a little bit over the top. Ludwig had never nned to kill Felicia, and it was an ident that nearly killed her. That was something Kian was certain about. He would rather talk about their problems and find a way out rather than see one of their teammates die like this. However, even if Kian had a lot to say, he didn''t dare to utter a single word, not anymore. Liam was not in the mood to listen to Kian''s crap and it was obvious that his threat was serious, not a silly joke. The atmosphere in their group was extremely tense, and Liam was the most tense, and agitated. The slightest noise in the underground hall of the underground tower would be enough to make him explode and wreak havoc. Nobody wanted to risk offending Liam in his current state. After all, it seemed like he would tear them apart the moment they were to dare open their mouths. Even Felicia didn''t dare to let out a groan of pain, no matter how much pain she had to endure. She didn''t want to risk bing the focus of Liam''s wrath. Groaning in pain was not worth offending the halfling! The tension in the underground hall showed no signs of dispersing but the Natives adjusted to it. They were too engrossed in their own thoughts and were busy thinking about the recent events. Ludwig''s life had ended just like that. It was almost as easy as swatting a fly. Ignoring the tense gazes of others, Liam collected the corpses of the Lesser Demons. There were far more than a thousand corpses but he collected all of them. They were exhibited and sold in his Small Shop for a fair price between 0.1 to 0.3 Arcanium. The price per individual was not necessarily high because many weapons and other armaments could be made from their body parts. The Dwarves would definitely buy the corpses, even if it were for a higher price. But Liam was still focusing on making money while making sure that the reputation of his Small Shop would increase. Furthermore, it was better to offer products at a low price because he wanted to make sure that every single corpse would be sold quickly. He didn''t like leftovers and he didn''t have too many exhibition slots in his Small Shop either! While Liam collected the Lesser Demon corpses, the others were deep in their thoughts or tending to Felicia''s injuries. WIth the use of various potions, bandages with special properties, and other miraculous items that could be purchased in the Arcane Shop, and the shops of the Elves, Felicia had already stopped bleeding. She was already healing and could get up from the ground. Moving was also possible for her and even fighting if it was really necessary. She was in a weakened state and probably not much stronger than Jennie right now, but that was better than being rendered useless. Liam didn''t expect much from Felicia while fighting the Boss Monster, either way. "Is everyone ready?" Liam asked coldly before making his way to the gateway that led to the room of the Boss Monster. He didn''t even wait for the others to nod as he kept walking to the gateway. To make sure that there wouldn''t be a problemter, he activated every single trap in the gateway that connected the underground arena and the Boss Monster''s Room. More than ten boulders smashed down on the floor, arrows shot out from the ceiling and the walls and a pit of magma opened in front of them twice. Other than the traps that could be easily detected by Arcane Power, there had been a total of 15 old-fashioned traps that couldn''t be sensed by Arcane Power. The other natives wouldn''t have seen some of those traps either. They would have died even before reaching the Boss Monster''s room. Thanks to Liam and his observation skills, they made it through the gateway. However, instead of stepping straight into the Boss Monster''s room, they froze in their tracks after seeing close to a hundred Mutant Elite Shedim and even more Canine Shedim surrounding a throne made out of some grayish white metal. No, that was not entirely true. The throne was not made of a grayish white metal. "Are those¡­Skulls?!?" Jennie shrieked, while Rex nodded his head. There was no sign of his bubbly, cheerful attitude anymore. He was dead serious and ghastly pale as he nodded his head in terror. "Yep, those are Skulls¡­" He mumbled. However, while the natives stared at the throne, Liam''s focus was on the being sitting on the Skullthrone. He sawrge, dark-red eyes that glowed within the darkness of the room of the Boss Monster. The eyes stared down at Liam from a height of more than five meters, which was more than enough for him to grumble. "Was it really necessary to turn one of those into a Boss Monster?" ** If you want to support me use your golden tickets and powerstones. You can also visit my pa treon: Pa treon/HideousGrain More character images and nice chats about the HideVerse: https://discord.gg/EdsDgFVWwZ Link also in my description. Do you like it? Leave a review and add it to the library! Chapter 80 Skullthrone ?Liam had to acknowledge that the Skullthrone was a sight to behold. It was intimidating to look at the huge throne that was constructed from countless Skulls of various beings. There were Human, Demon, and animal skulls used to build the throne, with each of them carefully arranged and stacked upon each other to create the shape of a seat. The skulls were arranged to make sure that the empty eye sockets and gaping jaws would form a grim and unsettling visage. That was enough for the natives'' bodies to erupt in goosebumps. Even Olivia hadn''t expected such a terrific sight to unfold in front of her in the Boss Monster''s room. The throne was imposing and intimidating, looming over anyone daring enough to enter the final room. The Skulls were aged, yellowed and cracked with decay, giving off an eerie, otherworldly presence, which was pretty logical. After all, the Skulls were brought from the Underworld. Liam could clearly sense the heavy weight of death and decay in the room, which also originated from the Skullthrone. It showed Liam that the Skullthrone was an ornament used to decrease thebat prowess of the living. The Shedim race was an exemption to this weakened sensation. In fact, they could make use of this effect to increase their own strength to a certain degree. That frustrated Liam even more, knowing deep down that the Boss Monster was able to increase its strength even further. This was quite troublesome, considering that the Boss Monster was not a Shedim Warrior, but actually a Shedim Champion! It didn''t have an Arcane Circle, but its stats were probably all in the [B] or [A] range. Adding to it the fact that it was a Boss Monster, most of the Shedim Champion''s stats were likely to have been enhanced to [A+] or even [S]. ''If the Shedim Champion Boss can control the effect of the Skullthrone properly, it will be even stronger,'' Liam thought, biting his lower lip as he keenly observed the Shedim Champion in the hopes of finding a weak spot. The Shedim Champion''s huge body was grey-skinned and muscr. It was a humanoid being with ck scales and mottled flesh that was clearly visible in therge stinky holes that spread all across its body. The Shedim Champion was five meters tall, had a Lizard head and it wielded a humongous dark green harpoon that rested next to the Skullthrone. It had yet to move, but its eyes were trained on Liam, following his movements easily and calmly. The Shedim Champion was wearing merely an ordinary cloth that was tied to its waist and covered other small parts of its body. The Lizard''s head was distorted, it had sharp protruding fangs and a sharp jawline, which gave it an even more menacing appearance. The Shedim Champion''s chest was tattooed with various symbols all of which had specific meanings. Liam could tell the meaning of the tattoos and he didn''t like what he saw. The Shedim Champion was an existence born and raised for war. It was only part of the Lesser Demons but as long as they achieved enough, they would be given the necessary aid and permission to create their first Arcane Circle. Because its stats were so high, the Shedim Champion was likely to create an Ancient Arcane Circle, thereby increasing its strength even further. And ording to the tattoos on the chest of the Shedim Champion, it was about to finish its final trial before it would be given permission to create its primary Arcane Circle. That meant it was extremely powerful and desperate to increase its strength. Its body was heavily scarred due to the various ferocious battles it had fought and survived over the course of years. The scars were a sign of honor, a clear indicator of the rough and violent lifestyle of the Shedim Champion. No matter what kind of idea formed in his mind, all of them were crushed only secondster as he visualized the results of a battle with the Shedim Champion Boss. The final results were certainly not something to look forward to. The only advantages he could point out were that the Boss Monster wasn''t wearing any armor and that it had many areas that were not covered in ck scales. The holes of mottled flesh were the Shedim Champion''s vulnerable spot. Slicing through these areas would certainly be helpful. However, in order to achieve this, he would have to reach the vulnerable spots in the first ce and inflict damage. Using the same tactic he had used for thest few days wouldn''t be enough. The ck Tarthear Needles would be useless and Liam couldn''t be sure whether his ws were sharp enough to dig into the flesh of the Shedim Champion or not. It was also questionable, whether or not the ck Steel Halbert of Ludwig was strong enough. Liam presumed that using enough Arcane Power to enhance the ck Steel Halbert would do the trick. If not, he still had the Arcane Kunai. Using them,bined with a few other means and dirty tricks should make it possible for him to reach and injure the Shedim Champion. The only problem was that there were a few more Shedim for him to take care of. None of the Mutant Elite Shedim or the Canine Shedim were weak. Liam could fight them by himself and obliterate them on his own. But the problem was that he couldn''t fight them with the Shedim Champion Boss nearby as well. That was simply not feasible. Thus, there were two things Liam had to take care of as quickly as possible. One of the two things was the Skullthrone. It had to be destroyed to make sure that he and the natives were able to fight with their fullbat prowess. As for the other thing, it was the horde of other Shedim. They were the smallest problem but their numbers were quite annoying. It would inevitably distract Liam in the long run. Thus, they had to be taken care of as quickly as possible. The only question in Liam''s mind was how to deal with all of them at the same time before the Shedim Champion Boss would be able to disrupt him. In theory, he had a n in mind, but practically, it was pretty difficult to make sure that everything would go as nned. But then again, it was not as if his ns worked out usually. He was the type of person who acted instinctively, adjusting ns ording to his gut feeling and the need of the hour. And, considering that he was still alive, everything would be fine. It had to be! Chapter 81 The Plan ?Liam thought of the easiest and most efficient way to make use of the things in his possession and the means at his disposal. He spoke with the natives for a few minutes to make sure that they understood their tasks in the n before he got started. After retrieving several Lumina Needles, he injected them with enough Arcane Power to trigger their effect. He pulled his hand back a little and threw them forward with a big horizontal sweep, illuminating the underground room with a bright dazzling light. Roars of pain and confusion filled the hall due to the sudden emergence of the dazzling light. Seconds passed, yet the light showed no signs of dimming down. On the contrary, it looked like the dazzling light was getting stronger and brighter with every passing second. That was not a coincidence, but precisely nned, caused by the repetitive usage of the Lumina Needles. In less than 30 seconds, Liam had triggered and thrown more than fifty Lumina Needles. He was not actually sure how many he was now left with in the second Casket of Trickery. However, he knew that the Lumina Needles were a necessity, just like the other purchases he hadpleted. [2x ¡ºLeather sks[Water of Liran](C Rank)¡»have been purchased. 30 Arcanium have been deducted!] [10x ¡ºBrick of Xivaliboom(B Rank)¡»have been purchased. 100 Arcanium have been deducted!] [10x ¡ºSticky Rope(F Rank)¡» have been purchased. 5 Arcanium have been deducted!] The price he paid was painfully high, adding the expensive Lumina Needles he had simply around as if they were grains of sand on a beach, but Liam would rather reach deep into his pockets and empty it rather than die. He was not that stingy! Furthermore, the purchased items had all their use. It was not as if he wasted his money needlessly! [¡ºLeather sks[Water of Liran]¡»¨CCircleless C Rank¨C Description: An ordinary leather sk filled with the Water of Liran. The water of Liran is highly nutritious and infused with arge amount of Arcane Power. Remark: It is highly conductive, even more than ordinary water. Be careful!] [¡ºBrick of Xibaliboom¡»¨CCircleless B Rank¨C Description: The Brick of Xibaliboom is highly durable. Even attacks issued by beings with one Arcane Circle will find a hard time destroying buildings constructed with the Brick of Xibaliboom. Remark: Don''t every let anyone ignite a Spark near the Brick of Xibaliboom. With its great endurancees a great downside¡­BOoOm!] [¡ºStick Rope¡»¨CCircleless F Rank¨C Description: The Sticky Rope is an ordinary rope with a sticky side. Can easily stick anything to it! Remark: The heavier the stuck object, the shorter duration for which its adhesive property will be in effect when carried around!]] The leather sks filled with the Water of Liran were pierced by the Arcane Kunai''s razor-sharp de. Afterward, the Arcane Kunai shot through the air with the leather sks hanging down its de, sprinkling water upon the ground and Lesser Demons. The Arcane Power within the Arcane Kunai was quickly depleted but Liam couldn''t focus on that too much. He made sure that the preparations werepleted before the dazzling lights of the Lumina Needles would disperse. The thunderous roars that reverberated through the entire hall shook the ground, indicating that the Shedim Champion Boss was enraged. That was to be expected even if it was not exactly in Liam''s favor. He took a deep breath when the Arcane Kunai returned to him, almost fully depleted. The leather sks were emptied of every single drop of the Water of Liran that had spread throughout the entire underground hall. Using the Arcane Power umted inside the nchal Silk Gloves to fill the Arcane Kunai to the brim, Nial used the Sticky Ropes to attach the Bricks of Xibaliboom to them. One Sticky Rope was glued to the surface of one Brick of Xivaliboom each before the Arcane Kunai picked them up using the t side to bnce the tied-together knots and flung them to the designated area. One Sticky Rope after another was cut off from the tied knot. The Bricks of Xibaliboomnded on and around the Skullthrone, roughly in the area, they were supposed tond. Liam continued to will the Arcane Kunai to do certain things, until everything had been set up. The Arcane Kunai shot back to him mere moments before the dazzling lights of the Lumina Needles died down. The dazzling lights were now reced by dim lighting and an ominous atmosphere that was filled with the uncontroble rage of the Lesser Demons. "Rex!" Liam ordered calmly, which caused Rex to shout out loud as he used his entire umted Arcane Power in a single attack that targeted the Skullthrone. Meanwhile, Liam retrieved a bunch of vials that he had found in the shops of the dwarves. He didn''t like the Dwarves but their tools and weapons for war were impable. No matter what he wanted to say against them, the Dwarven race was one of the few races he hated for being too good at their job when it came to creating destructive weapons! [10x ¡ºSmall Lightning Vial[Purple](D Rank)¡» have been purchased from the Tricky Dwarven Shop. 50 Arcanium have been deducted!] [¡ºSmall Lightning Vial[Purple]¡»¨CCircleless D Rank¨C Description: A small lightning bolt has been stored andpressed inside the vial. Upon shattering, a small lightning bolt will be released! Remark: Loud, dangerous, dazzling, and sizzling. Don''t be a fool!] Arcane Power had to be injected into the vials to weaken their durability. They would then shatter uponnding wherever Liam wanted them to end up. He used his whole physical strength which was further amplified by circting Arcane Power through his body to release the ten small bolts of purple lightning all over the arena. Meanwhile, Rex''s huge golden lightning bolt had impacted as well. It exploded on the Skullthrone where the golden electricity currents spread out causing damage all over the ce. Sparks were ignited, which resulted in thunderous explosions to erupt. One explosion after another, totaling ten, followed suit. The explosion caused the most damage, resulting in the stability of the Skullthrone deteriorating drastically until the first Skulls crumbled due to the tremendous force of the explosions that happened all around it. As for the electricity currents, they kept spreading through the entire room, empowered by the massive amount of Arcane Power in the room and conducted through the Water of Liam that was sprinkled in every nook and cranny of the room. Liam and the others were meanwhile staring at the spectacle that unfolded in front of them, their eyes mirroring the purple and golden currents that wreaked havoc wherever one could see. Chapter 82 Fear ?"That''s how you deal with these nuisances, huh?" Rex mumbled while he was being flooded with far more than a hundred notifications, all of which looked the same to him. [Mutant Elite Shedim has been yed. Equal Contribution detected!] [+1.5 Arcanium [Canine Shedim(Frenzy Dog) has been yed. Equal Contribution detected!] [+1 Arcanium] [Canine Shedim(Ferocious Wolf) has been yed. Equal Contribution detected!] [+1.8 Arcanium] ¡­ ¡­ In the following two minutes, his Arcanium increased by close to 200 units, and that was despite sharing the contribution of each kill with Liam. That caused Rex to swallow hard as he stared at Liam, who looked at the bright currents of electricity impassively as they continued to wreak havoc all over the ce. The sound of explosions had died down and Liam could see the remnants of the Skullthrone through the purple and golden currents that kept on destroying the room as bits of skulls were being thrown all over the room. The currents seemed to jump from one droplet of the Water of Liran to another, prancing through the room until the Arcane Power within the water and the surrounding area was drainedpletely. Liam didn''t have too much Arcane Power left within himself either. His nchal Silk Gloves were void of Arcane Power, his Arcane Kunai had less than half Arcane Power remaining and the same could be said about himself. There was not too much Arcane Power left within him either. However, that could be solved rather easily. [2x¡ºReinforced Arcaniua Potion (C- Rank)¡» have been purchased. 20 Arcanium have been deducted!] If Liam wouldn''t have spent 200 Arcanium to kill a few hundred Mutant Elite Shedim and Canine Shedim, in addition to destroying the Skullthrone, he might have thought a little longer about purchasing the Reinforced Arcaniua Potions. But their final opponent was an enraged, and hopefully injured Shedim Champion Boss. It was better to be safe and sound rather than a dead corpse while fighting a mighty opponent. He unstoppered the two vials and swallowed the contents without any hesitation. His Soultrait was triggered and his consumption of Arcane Power increased once again. Liam''s entire body was filled with life and power, and Arcane Power began to surge through him more vigorously just seconds after he swallowed the viscous liquid. He removed the ck Steel Halbert from his back and swirled it around his body. Taking a deep breath, he willed the Arcane Kunai to attach itself to the de of the Halbert before he stepped out of the gateway that had been their safe haven for thest few minutes. The purple and golden currents died down, revealing the fiercely glowing scarlet eyes of the Shedim Champion Boss. It pped its wings violently, rising into the air as it looked around to witness the devastating result of the attacks caused by the tiny worms that were standing in the gateway to hisnds, HIS territory. The underground tower was his fief, it belonged to none other than him, yet the tiny ants had been daring enough to not only conquer his fief but also to take away his belongings, kill his Soldiers, and humiliate him by destroying everything around him without even entering thest basalt hall of the underground tower. There were still a few tunnels leading to different ces but none of them were important to the Shedim Champion Boss. His only interest was hisnd, his people, and the fact that he would soon be allowed to officially be a noble of the Shedim race by creating his first Arcane Circle. It would be a powerful Arcane Circle, one that represented the hard work he put in to be the strongest, to make his family and beloved proud of him. Yet, the tiny ants had shown up out of nowhere and wanted to destroy this dream of his as well. The Shedim Champion Boss couldn''t ept that. It released a terrific roar that swept through the entire room, shaking the basalt walls, floor, and ceiling. The remnants of electricity currents flickered once before they dispersed forever. Eyes that desired the ants'' blood began to glimmer brightly when its gaze cascaded down its harpoon before it stared down at them, creating a rippled effect of fear to spread through the natives who didn''t dare to move. The sight of the raging Shedim Champion Boss was beyond terrifying. The Boss Monster was more than fiver-meters tall and it was still able to fly, despite weighing more than two tons. Its rage was uncontroble, which could be felt in the roar''s soundwave that prevented the natives from moving even a single inch. Even Rex, who was extremely weary and exhausted after overextending the usage of his Soultrait didn''t dare to take a breath, no matter how much he needed oxygen right now. He struggled for a while before his knees gave in and he copsed on the ground, falling next to Jennie and Felicia. Jennie''s mind was weak and everyone knew about that. However, Felicia was different. She copsed because she was already injured and unable to endure the pressure that was forced upon her mind. Her heart was racing and the effect of the bunch of potions and other recovery items she was currently using to heal were going wild. It was almost as if their effectiveness decreased for a few seconds before the potions'' effects intensified all at once. Felicia''s body was overwhelmed with the effect of the potions and recovery items, forcing her body into a state of shock. She lost consciousness, which left Liam who was already in the final room, and both Kian and Olivia, who were unable to move. They were unmoving like stone statues and stared at Liam who moved around seemingly unfazed at the horrifying demonstration of the Boss Monster''s power! "If you''re not going to help me, just don''t stand in my way," Liam said in a voice loud enough for the two conscious students to hear, "Watch and see what awaits you in the future!" The corners of his lips curled upward as his chest heaved up and down. His heart was racing, which made him feel like his chest was going to explode at any moment. However, he ignored his roaring heartbeat and stared straight into the Shedim Champion Boss'' eyes. After all, he was not overflowing with anxiety or the fear of death. The exact opposite was the case! He was filled with excitement and the thought of finally being able to fight to his heart''s content against an opponent that was worth going all out! "Come at me, rotten lizard!" Chapter 83 Boss (1) ?Liam couldn''t fly but he could send the ck Tarthear Needles flying. He didn''t expect them to be of great use but every bit of advantage was wee. He wielded the ck Steel Halbert in one hand while rushing forward, throwing several ck Tarthear Needles at the five-meter-tall target. It was difficult to miss the target, but that hardly mattered since the ck Tarthear Needles'' poison was not highly effective against the Shedim Champion Boss. If there was any effect at all, Liam couldn''t detect it. Nheless, he didn''t stop throwing the ck Tarthear Needles. But he stopped triggering their effect to save on Arcane Power while continuing to throw more and more needles at the Boss Monster. At first, the Shedim Champion Boss thought that the needles were the Lumina Needles. It closed its eyes tightly instinctively in response to the ck Tarthear Needles and the dazzling light that would momentarily blind it. However, that was a fatal mistake. When the Shedim Champion closed its eyes for the second time, Liam threw the ck Steel Halbert high into the air. The Halbert shot through the air and it impaled the Lesser Demon easily. A roar of pain and astonishment reverberated through the surroundings. However, that was the only thing that happened. Blood gushed out of the twenty-centimeter-deep wound that had been inflicted by the ck Steel Halbert that was still stuck in the Boss Monster''s chest. Liam had precisely aimed at thergest rotten spots of the Boss Monster''s chest and every single needle had hit them urately. His attack had been a great sess even though the Lesser Demon was not yet dead. In fact, it was far from dead. It was injured, enraged, and targeting Liam with its uncontroble wrath. Liam understood that but he couldn''t really bother about it. He was more focused on the Arcane Kunai which he had willed to detach from the de of the ck Steel Halbert before it impacted, piercing into the Boss Monster''s flesh. Meanwhile, the Arcane Kunai hovered in the air, a little above the Shedim Champion''s head, unmoving and waiting for Liam''smands. A green liquid trickled down the de of the Arcane Kunai but that was not something anyone seemed to have noticed until now. Liam was taking a deep breath while staring at the enraged beast that towered above him. It was not even thirty meters away from him and could attack Liam at any moment, but it didn''t. Liam''s shoulders were tense as he anticipated the attack that never came his way. Furthermore, the Arcane Power consumption of his Arcane Kunai began to trouble him a little and he felt that the Shedim Champion may actually instinctively be able to tell that time was Liam''s worst enemy. Thus, he had to make use of the preparations he hadpleted with the vast majority of his remaining Arcanium, even if it was a little earlier to enact the n than he had intended to. [350 Arcanium have been consumed to upgrade the Lesser Relic ¡ºArcane Kunai¡»from ¡¸D+¡¹ to ¡¸C-¡¹] [150 Arcanium have been consumed to temporarily engrave the ¡ºPetrification Poison Rune(A+ Rank)¡»on the Lesser Relic ¡ºArcane Kunai¡»for the following 30 minutes. [¡ºArcane Kunai¡»-Lesser Relic/Circleless C- Rank- Description: The Arcane Kunai is a weapon with many unique properties. It was forged in the maw of a dying Drake using the Essence of a ckleara Swordfish. It can be bound to one Source of Arcane Power which can precisely control the Relic in a radius of 35 meters as long as enough Arcane Power is supplied. ¡¸Rune¡¹: Petrification Poison Rune (Basic) -Will disperse in 30 minutes- Remark: The Lesser Relic can be upgraded up to the ¡¸1st Circle D Rank¡¹using Arcanium. Remark 2: The longer the distance to the Relic, the higher the Arcane Power consumption upon usage!] Liam knew that the Arcane Power consumption would increase drastically the moment he added a temporary engravement on the Arcane Kunai. The stronger the weapon he desired to control, the harder it would be to actually control it. The Arcane Kunai''s strength wouldn''t change much upon getting upgraded. What changed, however, was the range of control and the consumption rate of Arcane Power. It would decrease because a better distribution system of Arcane Power would be implemented into the Arcane Kunai in turn as more possibilities would be unveiled with the increase of its rank. However, with the additional engravement of the Petrification Poison Rune, which was a powerful rune that petrified everything it touched¡­or cut in Liam''s case, things changed a bit. The consumption of his Arcane Power increased by more than three times in an instant. That meant he couldn''t control the Arcane Kunai for more than three minutes at a stretch. Either the battle against the Shedim Champion had to end before that, or he would have to have gained a big enough advantage to not need the levitating Lesser Relic to win anymore. He willed the Arcane Kunai to cut the Shedim Champion''s wings and neck. The fact that the Boss Monster could fly was the most annoying, so that had to be taken care of as soon as possible. Liam continued to throw ck Tarthear Needles until the Shedim Champion ignored them. Instead, it turned its focus on the ck Steel Halbert and pulled it out of its chest, broke it apart, and threw the remnants at Liam, who evaded them skillfully. He reced the ck Tarthear Needles with the Lumina Needles which he triggered with Arcane Power, illuminating the entire room with a bright dazzling light for the second time. The Shedim Champion roared out in response. It twirled its harpoon until it pointed downward and aimed it at Liam. With a tremendous force that caused a shockwave to reverberate through the surroundings the harpoon was unleashed from the monster''s grip, and thrown at Liam, who stared at the situation unfolding in the dazzling bright room with a smile. His Soultrait was fully unleashed and his prediction had been perfect. He began to move even before the Shedim Champion threw the harpoon at him. The Boss Monster was not able to see much in the dazzling light that filled the entire room. While the same should apply to Liam, he was totally unaffected by the bright light as he saw everything clearly in front of him. After all, a neat pair of sunsses rested on his nose bridge, blocking the bright light perfectly and shielding his eyes from it! Chapter 84 Boss (2) ?Liam evaded the harpoon that crashed into the ground while holding onto his sunsses and the two potions that had materialized in his hand. [2x¡ºReinforced Arcaniua Potion (C- Rank)¡», and¡ºSuperior Darkan Sunsses(E- Rank)¡» have been purchased. 25 Arcanium have been deducted!] By now, Liam''s fortune had decreased to less than 50 Arcanium. That hurt painfully but it had been a necessary investment. Liam didn''t regret having bought anything. He could sell the corpses of the Canine Shedims and the Mutant Elite Shedims once the battle was over and regain some of his wealth. As for the Shedim Champion Boss, its corpse alone was already worth a fortune. Its hide, ws, and most of the parts of its body could be turned into Circleless A-grade armaments as long as they were bought by Artisans who knew what they were doing. Even if that wouldn''t be enough to make up for the price he had to pay to acquire all the items he currently owned, Liam was not worried about that right now. He wanted nothing more than to kill the Shedim Champion and finish his conquest of his little sister''s underground tower. He wanted to see her suffer, no matter how tiny and negligible the sting would be. That was how petty Liam was! He swallowed the contents of the two Reinforced Arcaniua Potions while a bunch of pebbles of basalt flung through the surroundings, hitting him in the back and legs. Liam ignored the pain and looked over to the huge harpoon that had been thrown deep inside the basalt floor of the final hall. A chain was attached to the lower end of the harpoon. Liam noticed that only now and he rushed to hold onto the harpoon''s shaft. He was about to grab it but was a second toote before it was pulled out of the ground and retracted with a single powerful pull. Looking over to the back of the Shedim Champion, Liam began to frown. He could clearly see that the Arcane Kunai was having some problems cutting deep inside the flesh of the Shedim Champion. While it was not further difficult to damage and injure the Boss Monster as long as he was aiming at the rotten spots that were missing some flesh and the scales with their highly endurable defense, it was difficult for the Arcane Kunai to cut through the scales and sink its de further into the flesh without any momentum. Generating momentum would drain too much Arcane Power, which would result in the Arcane Kunai''s power drying up even before it cut the Shedim Champion twice. Liam realized this problem only now which is why he retracted the Arcane Kunai while he was pulled closer to the Shedim Champion. The Boss Monster had yet to find him again now that the dazzling light had dispersed once more. It didn''t expect Liam to hold onto the harpoon''s shaft, let alone to see him prepared to fight in the air while clinging to the Boss Monster''s body. Liam jumped over to the Shedim Champion the moment the harpoon closed the distance to the Lesser Demon. He was climbing up the body of the Shedim as if he was a squirrel that climbed over the body of a human child. At first, the Shedim Champion was so distracted by its rage and the intention to find Liam on the ground that it didn''t even notice him. But things changed the moment Liam climbed up further and reached the back of the Boss Monster. He didn''t show any hesitation as one of his hands turned into long and razor-sharp ws. The ws erged his fingers by more than ten centimeters, which was more than enough to tear the Shedim Champion apart, slowly and steadily. While his left hand had turned into a deadly w, his right hand grasped the Arcane Kunai tightly. He created the necessary momentum to pierce the Arcane Kunai deep into the Shedim''s back. His w carved through the scales of the Lesser Demon as well. It caused his ws to bleed as he injured himself by cutting his ws against the razor-sharp edges of the ck scales. However, that was not something Liam chose to pay attention to. He continued climbing up over the massive broad back of the Shedim Champion until he reached its shoulder des from where the wings jutted out. shing, stabbing, and thrusting his w and the Arcane Kunai at the right wing while holding onto the left to make sure that he wouldn''t fall down from a height of ten meters to the ground, Liam caused a bloody massacre. The Shedim Champion roared out in pain, realizing that Liam had somehow gotten onto his back. A numbing sensation was already spreading through its right wing and it was having difficulties rising up in the air to take flight. But Liam continued to attack its back as the monster howled in pain. It was not flexible enough to reach Liam with its ws. The harpoon had returned to its right which left it only with its left ws to attempt to reach Liam. But, it didn''t work out no matter how much the Shedim Champion tried. Shaking its body provided no results either. Thus, as the damage caused to his back and the right wing was getting too much to endure, the Shedim Champion gave up on the attempt to stay in the air. Instead, it moved its backside to the ground while its feet pushed its two-ton heavy body away from the ceiling. The heavy Lesser Demon smashed to the ground with a ridiculous speed, intention to drag Liam to his death by being squashed under its weight. However, Liam didn''t fancy bing Ludwig 2.0 and getting smashed into a pulp. His Devil''s Eyes were able to decipher what was going on in the Boss Monster''s mind even before it had fully initiated the devilish n to squash him. Thus, he made use of his ws and the Arcane Kunai, and hurriedly crawled upon the neck of the Shedim Champion Boss the moment it pushed its feet away from the ceiling. Liam jumped, not caring that he would fall more than ten meters to the ground. He was too focused on his survival to care about spraining his ankle. A ten meter jump was not something that would kill him, especially not after he used thest remnants of Arcane Power inside the Arcane Kunai to st upward a millisecond before he was about to crash onto the ground. The pull of the Arcane Kunai reduced the impact of his fall, allowing him to have a softernding than the Shedim Champion that just crashed into the ground. At least his body didn''t create the sound of several bones breaking. The same couldn''t be said about the Lesser Demon, whose wings were clearly disfigured as it was weakly trying to get up from the ground. Meanwhile, Liam smiled grimly. "You''re a piece of work, aren''t you?" ** If you want to support me use your golden tickets and powerstones. You can also visit my pa treon: Pa treon/HideousGrain More character images and nice chats about the HideVerse: https://discord.gg/EdsDgFVWwZ Link also in my description. Do you like it? Leave a review and add it to the library! Chapter 85 Boss (3) ?The Shedim Champion worsened its injuries by smashing itself into the ground. It intended to bury Liam beneath it, squashing him to death but that n failed miserably. Its'' wings were broken and its back felt numb. Several spots of the Boss Monster''s upper back were petrified, precisely everywhere around the cuts, which Liam had inflicted with the Arcane Kunai. The Petrification Poison Rune would stay active for more than 25 minutes which it could be used as long as Liam provided enough Arcane Power to keep up the effect. Hisck of Arcane Power was the biggest problem but that could be temporarily substituted with potions. He had still enough Arcanium to buy three potions, if necessary. But while the Shedim Champion was already injured and bleeding severely due to the various small cuts, turning those spots to stone, Liam was not exactly unscathed either. Liam was also injured, though not severely. His high Vitality stat at [S] allowed him to heal faster and replenish his stamina and energy quickly. It was not omnipotent but it also strengthened his body, which was also why his jump from the Boss Monster''s back didn''t break his ankles uponnding on the ground. Blood gushed out of the Shedim''s chest from the deep gash he had inflicted with the ck Steel Halbert. The wound was getting worse as the Boss Monster moved around too vigorously. To heal the wound and stop it from bleeding, the Shedim would have to rest a bit, not move around like he had been bitten by a rabid dog. The Shedim, however, couldn''t control itself anymore. It had been consumed by rage and the desire to obliterate Liam and the other infiltrators. They had even destroyed the Skullthrone of which it had been so proud. At the same time, the Shedim didn''t realize that its overall constitution was worsening by the second. Even if the Shedim Champion didn''t feel anything right now, the golden lightning bolt and the explosions from earlier had inflicted considerable damage to the Boss Monster''s defenses. The aftereffect of the golden lightning bolt and explosions caused many of its ck scales to crack and crumble. This made it much easier for Liam to pierce through the cracked scales that cut into the Shedim Champion''s flesh with his injured w and the Arcane Kunai. Liam used a dirty tactic now that the Shedim was forced to fight on the ground. his Soultrait fully unleashed, he could narrowly evade the harpoon that was thrust in his direction every few seconds. He might not be as fast as the Shedim Champion, but his eyes made up for hiscking agility. It was already pretty easy to make out when the Shedim Champion was about to attack. It was not as if a five-meter-tall and muscr Demon could act stealthily and hide when it was about to smash its huge and heavy harpoon upon the ground. If the harpoon were to hit him, Liam would certainly die. His chances of survival would be nill. But that was obvious and something Liam could ept rather easily. After all, he would never allow the Lesser Demon to hit him with the harpoon, in the first ce. The Lesser Demon''s attack pattern was pretty simple as well. No matter how enraged it was, it had to aim, throw and retract the spear. Each of these three steps required a series of small sub-steps that had to be taken into consideration which wasted more time. Liam made use of the vast number of opportunities he was granted by the rage and stubbornness of the Boss Monster. It didn''t want to let go of its weapon because it was too proud of it. The Shedim didn''t feel like giving up on its great tactic and the mightybat technique it had learned just because no attack hit the designated target so far. Fighting without a weapon and only using its bare body including its ws, legs, feet, and tail would have been much better against an opponent like Liam. After all, even though Liam was not fast, he could evade the Lesser Demon''s attack and inflict more than ten cuts upon its right leg before he would back off again. Liam didn''t have to be much of a thinker to rinse and repeat the process for a few minutes until the Lesser Demon''s right leg was filled with deep gashes that bled severely while the area around it had turned to stone. The Lesser Demon was not even able to properly move its right leg anymore. Only then did it give up on the harpoon, filled with even more rage than before. After all, it hadn''t been able to hit Liam even once! The tide of the battle changed in a single instance. The Shedim Champion allowed its wild instincts to take over the moment it let go of the heavy harpoon. Its'' movements elerated now that it had less weight to carry and it kicked out with its injured leg. Liam intended to evade the attack but he quickly noticed that bracing himself for the impact of the Lesser Demon''s leg was better than being forced to scramble away from the reach of the Boss Monster''s huge ws as well. After all, the upper body of the beast lunged forward as well. The Lesser Demon''s ws reached out to the left and right of the stretched-out leg, ready to squash Liam the moment he was to evade the attack by moving in either of those directions. Thinking quickly, he turned his left w into a hand while throwing the Arcane Kunai toward the head of the Lesser Demon. Consumed by rage and already full in motion, the Shedim Champion was not able to block the thrown Kunai. It pierced into the left eye of the Lesser Demon, petrifying it in the seconds that followed. However, Liam was not granted the opportunity to see this as he crossed his arms to brace himself for the iing impact. The moment the leg impacted upon him, he heard a loud crunch in his left forearm. But even that was not something he could pay much attention to as he was knocked out of his breath. Liam was flung across the length of the room until he was forcefully halted by the basalt wall that he smacked against. He coughed up blood, his sight blurred and he could clearly feel that his left arm was broken. Meanwhile, the Lesser Demon seemed to have found the perfect tactic to fight and overwhelm him. Chapter 86 Boss (4) ?Even though he didn''t like this, Liam had to acknowledge that the Shedim Champion was stronger than him. The only advantage he had was his high Vitality. Without his [S] rank Vitality, he would have lost consciousness due to the heavy impact of the kick. It smashed him against the basalt wall that was tens of meters away from his current position. Liam recalled smashing into the wall before he slumped to the ground but he might be mistaken. The memories of the impact were a littleplicated and hard to recall. He could only tell that he had felt a bolt of pain travel up his spine and shoulder de. In fact, he was currently still in pain, lots of pain at that! His forearm was broken and his hand was bleeding severely. Even holding the Arcane Kunai, which was not that heavy, would be hardly possible with his left hand in the state he found himself in right now. Liam could still move his right arm and he knew that he had to get up from the ground as quickly as possible. The Shedim Champion was already charging at him, running on all fours. It had given up on being a member of a bipedal race and gave in to the wild and ferocious side of its existence. Now, the Shedim Champion was neither a Lesser Demon with just a flicker of genius nor a Champion¡­the Boss Monster facing Liam was a bloodthirsting beast that charged at its prey with the desire to tear it apart and y around with it until its prey would bleed to death. Having let go of the heavy harpoon allowed the Lesser Demon to regain some of the speed it lost due to its half-petrified leg. The Boss Monster''s thigh was not petrified which hardly made a difference as the monster was running on all fours rather than its two hind legs. It reached Liam in a second or two, long before the Halfling was able to properly get up. Liam had to act quickly, otherwise, he would sumb to the swipe of ws that came down on him from the right. The Lesser Demon''s ws were razor-sharp and they provided a broader area of attack when shing out in a wide motion. However, the attack range was shorter and the attack itself took a moment longer to impact as well. Liam could make use of that by jumping forward with all his might. He jumped straight in between the front legs of the Lesser Shedim. He was just trying to survive the fight and emerge unscathed and victorious. Rolling over the ground, he forced his aching body to get up in an instant. However, it was already toote as the Lesser Demon''s other w shot toward him from the left. The Shedim Champion lost its bnce as it switched from running on its four legs back to its hind legs. In its haste to hurt Liam, it forgot tot take into consideration that its right leg was half-petrified. Thus, as the Lesser Demon was trying to readjust its weight uniformly again on its legs, it lost its bnce and fell to the right. The w that came from his left was thus altered. It reached him a tad slower than intended and it moved in a different way than it was supposed to. Liam could jump to the right, evading most of the attack. Unfortunately, it was impossible to avoid any damage. He was still scratched, though just with the tip of the Lesser Demon''s ws. The tip was more than enough to cut deep along his upper arm and chest, nearly ripping his chest open. If the w had only cut a centimeter deeper inside him, his rib cage would have been pulled alongwith the hook of the w''s tip. He didn''t even want to imagine what would have happened afterward. The thought of being dragged through the air, while a hook dug into his rib cage though he was still alive made him give an involuntary shudder. He had to win the battle, but that was only obvious. Blood gushed out from the cut he sustained, but Liam didn''t even notice that anymore. He couldn''t feel pain either as the adrenaline pumping through his veins seemed to block off every other sensation. His focus was on the Shedim''s left arm. It was the closest to him and he could scratch and dig in it several times with his right hand that had transformed into ws. Liam''s left arm was rendered useless, and the Arcane Kunai was drained of itsst bits of Arcane Power that had been used to petrify the Shedim''s left eye. The Arcane Kunai was still stuck in the Shedim Champion''s left eye, but Liam didn''t see a way to get to it without facing the danger of getting squashed. But that was exactly the risk he had to take. Liam realized that the Petrification Poison Rune was the only way for him to properly kill the Shedim Champion. Taking that into consideration, his body began to move instinctively, hanging on the arm of the Shedim, jumping onto its back as the Lesser Demon was trying to regain bnce. It didn''t want to fall to the ground, knowing that it would be at a disadvantage. However, that was exactly what it did when it noticed that Liam was once again near his neck. He was trying to reach the Arcane Kunai while digging his right w into the flesh of the Lesser Demon to hook onto its back. The Shedim Champion instinctively threw its body onto the ground, back first, feeling that Liam would be squashed this time for sure. However, just like thest time, Liam escaped the same fate as Ludwig yet again. In fact, hisst traces of Arcane Power had been released and they had reached the Arcane Kunai that dug deeper into the petrified eye of the Shedim Champion before it was retracted,nding on Liam''s hand. He jumped on the chest of the Boss Monster, staring down at the blood gushing out of the monster''s chest. His eyes glowed coldly, the corners of his lips curling upward. "ept your fate, cockroach!" Chapter 87 [Liams Playground] ?Using all of his remaining Arcane Power at once, he drove the Arcane Kunai into the chest of the Shedim Champion. It shed at Liam with its huge ws in retaliation but missed him as he jumped back the moment the entire Arcane Kunai had been buried into the flesh of the Shedim Champion''s chest. Liam''s attack had been issued at the uppermost area of the foul spot that he had targeted and cut earlier already. It was the wound he had inflicted with the ck Steel Halbert he had thrown at the Shedim Champion at the start of the battle. A Shedim Champion''s heart was located in the center of its chest rather than tilting slightly to the left. Liam''s Arcane Kunai disappeared in the long and deep gash before the most potent version of the Petrification Poison was unleashed, petrifying the Boss Monster''s chest. The Shedim Champion roared out and it attempted to get up from the ground. However, its movements were sluggish as the poison took effect and it fell back to the ground. Liam''s eyes glimmered with hope when he realized that the Shedim Champion''s heart must have been petrified a little. That was what he had hoped for, but it was still unexpected and too easy to see that things were actually going as he had nned. After all, the Shedim Champion was a Boss Monster that created quite a bit of trouble for him. His arm was broken, his hand was cut more than twenty times and he was bleeding profusely from the massive wound in his chest. Fortunately, his right w was still fine. He rushed forward again the moment he sensed the opportunity and pierced his w deep into the already existing wound. His ws felt some strong resistance, probably from the petrified flesh, but Liam pierced through it, ignoring the pain he felt from getting cut once again. The edges of the petrified flesh that chipped from his impact were quite a nuisance to deal with, but the pain was nothing inparison to the gains he was bound to make. His right w met some resistance but he drove them deeper into the Shedim Champion''s Chest. The Boss Monster was still struggling but it was not able to muster the strength to lift its arms and sh at Liam to remove the lethal threat forever. Moving became harder with every passing second, and it was only a matter of time before the Shedim stopped moving altogether. Its movements stopped and so did the wildly beating heart that was filled with unwillingness and the desire to kill the invaders. The Shedim Champion was not ready to die yet, not ready to give up. It wanted to pursue its dreams, be a valuable member of its race, fight for the honor of the Shedim and be a pir of its race. It had wanted to make its family proud, not die miserably at the hands of a single ant that was supposed to be much weaker than he was. However, life is cruel. Reality is harsh. Only the strong will survive. As for the weak, they could only pray to be spared, hide where nobody could find them, or be stronger¡­strong enough to defeat everyone who wanted to kill them! Liam ended up bing stronger. He twisted his ws as they pierced the Shedim Champion''s heart, ending the Shedim Champion''s life. Thest remnants of life in the eyes of the Boss Monster dispersed with ast teardrop that trickled down its cheeks. Liam saw this but he couldn''t give a single fuck about the tear. He was exhausted, in pain and his vision was clouded by with azure holographic screens that notified him about his victory against the Shedim Champion. [Shedim Champion(Boss Monster) has been yed.] [+25 Arcanium have been rewarded.] [100% Bonus for killing a Boss Monster will be awarded.] [+25 Arcanium have been rewarded.] [The Host''s group is the first to conquer an Underground Tower in the Arcane Apocalypse. Achievement¡ºTower Raider¡»has been attained. Congrattions!] [+50 Arcanium have been rewarded.] [The Host Solo''d his first Boss Monster with underwhelming stats. Achievement ¡ºSoloist¡»has been attained. Congrattions!] [+100 Arcanium have been rewarded.] [Underground Tower ¡ºLiam''s yground¡»has been conquered. The Devil Duke''s'' first of ten descended Structures has been raided! Reward Hall has been unsealed.] [Special Rewards will be distributed ording to the conquestpletion rate!] [Calcting¡­] [The Underground Tower ¡ºLiam''s yground¡»has been raided with apletion rate of 95%. One casualty was detected in the Raider''s team. Congrattions!] [Customized rewards will be distributed ording to the contribution.] Liam was dead-tired and bleeding severely, but he was still able to take note of the underground tower''s name. "This bitch¡­" He cursed out while his w kept rummaging through the lifeless body of the Shedim Champion''s chest. Liam was looking for the Arcane Kunai which he found a minuteter. He looked at the Boss Monster''s Corpse for a moment with his blurred vision and sighed deeply. Once the Arcane Kunai was clean, he put it back on its scabbard. Afterward, he touched the corpse and stored it in his Small Shop, where he offered to sell it for 150 Arcanium. The Shedim Champion Boss Monster was probably worth a lot more but he was pretty sure that not many were able or willing to pay a higher price. After all, only the Dwarves could make the most use of the organs or other materials that could be harvested from the Shedim Champion. Its hide, fangs, and ws could be turned into B-rank Weapons and leather armor as long as it was used properly. Thus, Liam didn''t bother to lower his price. It was already a steal deal with his listed price! Liam walked over to the heavy harpoon which he offered for 100 Arcanium. It could be molten and reforged into more than thirty weapons as long as one was willing to spend some time and effort to do that. Liam was too tired to bother about anything else other than the Arcanium he could earn. He was tired, wounded and he was in need of some more Arcanium to buy a bunch of potions to tend to himself. However, even before he was able to ess the Arcane Shop, Liam felt that he was growing weaker. The Adrenaline that had surged through his body dispersed. His movements were getting more sluggish and he found himself falling to the ground not long after. ''I deserve a few hours of sleep¡­right?'' He asked himself, without receiving an answer as his eyes closed and his mind shut down. Chapter 88 The Devils Letter ?When Liam woke up, he found himself lying on the ground. He had been bandaged from head to toe and was staring nkly at the ceiling. A few seconds passed before he began to smile lightly. "How embarrassing," He mumbled. "What''s embarrassing?" A voice rang out from the left. Looking over, he saw that Felicia was also lying on the ground not too far away from him. She was still tired from tending to the injured and thus chose to sleep a bit as well. Liam''s voice woke her up. "Forget it," Liam just said, earning a frown from Felicia. Her frown quickly turned into a pout as she turned her head in the other direction. "How long was I asleep?" He asked, but he didn''t receive an answer. The only noise he heard was a ''hmpf!'' as Felicia turned her back toward him. Liam raised his eyebrow at her reaction. But instead ofmenting on it, he lifted his upper body from the ground and sat up straight. It was a bit painful but he was mostly doing fine now. His high Vitality stat promised a fast healing process as well. Liam also noticed that his Arcane Power was refilled once again. There were also two holographic notifications that attracted his interest. [The Host''s Stamina increased.] [The Host''s Will increased.] In fact, there were a bunch of more holographic screens that attracted his attention. This included the reward he was given for conquering the underground tower. Now that he thought about the underground tower''s name, Liam felt like a fool and had the mad urge to beat the shit out of his sister. That meant, everything was the usual, except the fact that his sister had fooled him a bit. [The Host''s Customized reward for raiding the Underground Tower¡ºLiam''s yground¡»can be imed.] "im rewards!" Liam announced, gritting his teeth when he saw the name of the underground tower once again and realized how his sister had tricked him. He got up from the ground as his rewards materialized in front of him. A letter, a ck ticket, and a fist-sized white, semi-translucent marble formed in front of him. Liam tore the ck ticket apart before paying attention to the letter and the marble that looked oddly familiar. [+183 Arcanium have been rewarded.] The amount of Arcanium he had received was much higher than expected, but he had the highest contribution in the whole team. He was not far off from Jennie, whose contribution was high from finding various valuable treasures. This was also added in thepletion rate of a Tower raid because it was one of the most important things to take into consideration. For the others, this might be important to know, but Liam was more interested in the letter he had received. It was written in the tongue of the Devils, and the header clearly read ''Dear "BIG" Brother Liam,''. That clearly indicated that his little sister had written that letter for him specifically. Considering that the underground tower''s name was already this unique, Liam was not really looking forward to reading the letter but he did it, nheless. [Dear BIG Brother Liam, How are you? I hope you are close to death and your gut is spilling out of your stomach. The Shedim Champion astonished you a little, didn''t it? After Mother sealed your strength to send you over to Haltan shortly before the Arcane Apocalypse was initiated, I knew that you would be even weaker than usual. Thus, the Shedim Champion was my present to you. If you''re reading this, you must be alive and the Shedim Champion must be dead. Mother''s Relic is probably in your hand as well by now and you might have seen the useless mine as well. The Arcania is really annoying, forcing me to reward you with something other than Arcanium. Use the mine and die biting into the Saphirate crystals. I genuinely hope that you die painfully. Or just wait until we meet again. Mother said that we don''t have to hold back anymore. I can finally kill you, removing the useless blotch from our family''s history forever. Be happy as long as you can¡­because I will find you, and make you suffer for ruining our family''s reputation with your mere existence. You should have never been born. Not so kind Regards, Dutchess Lira(Your Grim Reaper] When Liam finished reading through the letter, he fell silent for a moment. He re-read it once again and nodded his head slowly. The moment he knew that Lira sent the letter, Liam knew what would be mentioned. At least that was what he thought. He was mostly right as well because most of thements made by Lira were something he had heard ample times in person too. There was no surprise in that regard. However, what surprised him were two particr facts. Lira mentioning their Mother''s Relic and a Saphirate Crystal Mine were both rather unexpectedments. He didn''t really understand what exactly they meant, which is why he turned to the others who had been resting as well. "Did anyone already enter the Reward Hall?" Liam asked while brushing his fingers over the smooth surface of the cool orb he had received from his reward. The Natives seemed extremely tired, and they didn''t really feel happy either. Watching Liam''s fight against the Shedim Champion Boss showed them quite clearly that their strength was insignificant. Even Liam had only barely managed to escape a bunch of attacks by a hair''s breadth. This was a lot for the Natives to digest. There was also Ludwig''s death that still weighed on their minds. Life was frail and they might die at any moment. "We have yet to enter the Reward Hall," Olivia said, biting her lower lip, "We''re not sure if we have found and turned off all the traps¡­and didn''t¨C...." Liam didn''t allow Olivia to finish her sentence. "You were to scared to die, squashed by a boulder or something like that, I get it. Don''t bother exining your feelings to me." Liam hinted at Ludwig''s death without any qualms. He didn''t really think much about Ludwig anymore. In fact, it could have been quite dangerous to fall asleep while Ludwig was still alive. That idiot was too arrogant and he was likely to trigger some hidden self-destruction trap that would have obliterated the entire underground tower with them inside, burying them alive. Liam could do well enough without Ludwig. As for the others, they had to cope with his death sooner orter. More deaths would inevitably follow, after all! Chapter 89 Orb ?There were a few things Liam had to take care of, but he started with tending to his body''s needs. First, he retrieved a few potions from his potion belt. He consumed the contents of four different potions before he looked over to the Natives again. "Nobody cooked?" Liam asked, but nobody answered. It looked like the Natives would need quite a while to digest the incidents of the past few days. After they had been forced to keep going day by day, it was actually the first time that no dangers lurked around them. Olivia and Felicia were faring decently as well. Their mentality was strong. However, Kian and Rex seemed to have been hit hard, and even more so Jennie. Jennie knew that she would never actually be strong. She was not a fighter and would always have to rely on others. Relying on others was only possible as long as she was useful in a certain way. Thus, she would have to show everyone clearly that she was useful in her own way. But even though she knew that her Soultrait was a great addition to her already good treasure-hunting skills, Jennie didn''t really feel confident. Her confidence dispersed the moment she noticed that their lives were hanging by a paper-thin thread that could be cut at any time. Witnessing Ludwig''s death was the best and only experience she required to understand that very well. The others were not blind or delusional. They could tell that Ludwig had progressed the fastest and that he had been the most likely to survive by Liam''s side. But Ludwig had met an untimely death despite his rapid progression. He had been too impatient and full of himself. Liam was hungry, so he prepared a meal with the remaining boar meat he had stored in the Small Shop. Without thinking too much about it, he cooked arger quantity for the ducklings as well. Clearly recalling the first time he saw an acquaintance die right in front of him, Liam decided that they needed time to recover from the shock. Hence, he instinctively decided to take care of their meals. There was not much but it was better than nothing. ''Now that I think about it¡­I was with humans and other Halflings at that time as well¡­I was consoled by a human¡­'' Liam recalled, scratching the back of his head, feeling slightly frustrated. He didn''t like most of his past but there were certain memories that were worth being cherished. They showed him that not everyone was bad, or filled with prejudice. I thought¡­it was a fact that most of them had some sort of prejudice in the beginning and that it took one decisive event to make them realize how stupid they had been. Liam sighed heavily before piercing the biggest piece of meat with his index finger which had turned into a sharp w. He moved the erged pan of the Keychain of Miniature Tools to the Natives, whose gaze was now fixated on the juicy meat. Their mouth salivated when Liam started to grill it though they still had a confused look on their faces, wondering how Liam was unaffected by their recent experiences. Meanwhile, Liam handed the others a Lumina needle each to prick their own piece of meat. "If you want cutlery, buy it," Liam pointed out nonchntly, thinking that their distorting expressions were clear evidence of their inability to adapt to the situation they faced and the things they would encounter in the future. It was a waste of Arcanium to buy cutlery, and using the means they had at hand was free. The Natives sighed deeply. They understood what Liam hinted and epted his Lumina Needle thankfully. They began to eat their food silently for a while until Olivia cleared her throat. "Did you expect the Arcane System to hand out additional merit points because of our low averagebat level?" Olivia asked out of curiosity. It was quite obvious that Liam would have been able to conquer the Underground Tower by himself. He had been severely injured, but he had gone up against the Shedim Champion Boss all alone, and killed it. Nobody actually helped him kill the Boss Monster, even if it was debatable how much harder it would have been to conquer the dungeon without Rex''s Soultrait. At the end of the day, Rex''s Soultrait made things only a little easier¡­and less painful for Liam''s wallet. The others only silently listened as Olivia''s voice rang through the room. They also noticed a few things mentioned in the notification they had received after conquering the Underground Tower. That was also why Rex joined the conversation adding, "We earned additional merit points because we were only a group of seven with six being Natives from Haltan as well. Did you know that?" Liam shook his head lightly. He retrieved the letter his sister had sent him and read it for the third time. "To be fair, I don''t know everything about the Arcane System, how it is regted, and what kind of rewards we will get from certain missions. However, it is quite simple to consider the Arcane System as a guide. It created countless paths from which you can choose any of your liking to be stronger. The more difficult a path the higher the rewards. Thus, by conquering the Underground Tower with a total of seven people, we must have done a decent job¡­Otherwise, I wouldn''t have gotten this one¡­" Liam put the letter aside. His gazended on the cold, fist-sized orb and he picked it up to take a look at its description, function, and rank. [¡ºLivral Orb¡»¨CUnique Relic (Unbound)¨C Description: Dangerous Orb that can only be held by the owner and creator of the Livral Orb. Sucks the Lifeforce of other beings if they dare to touch the Livral Orb and hoard their energy. Can devour lifeless bodies, and digest them. The more desperate they had been during their fight for survival, the stronger the hoarded energy. The Hoarded lifeforce/energy will be converted to Arcane Power if desired. The Arcane System is willing to purchase the Arcane Power! The Hoarded Power can be used for Rituals of Infernal Existences. The Hoarded Power can be used to awaken the soulbound holder''s bloodline. Remark: Only a being with the Bloodline of the Orb''s Creator can bind the Liral Orb to themselves. Soulbound to Liam Wandel, the Creator''s Descendant!] ''So that''s what my mother has nned out for me? This bitch¡­'' Chapter 90 Mothers Scheming ?''Awaken the soulbound holder''s bloodline.'' That sentence was more than enough toprehend what exactly his mother had nned for him. The Livral Orb was one of his mother''s creations. It was made to elerate the awakening process of her children''s bloodline. When Liam read through the information of the Livral Orb, he recalled it. The Livral Orb was often used for Rituals and as a means to clear up battlefields. The power hoarded by the Livral orb was devastating after millions of corpses had been devoured by it on various battlefields. It was a valuable object that was one of a kind¡­and now Liam was in possession of it. ''But even if she wants me to awaken my bloodline, she could try it with different methods. Is she trying to lure me to her side with this gift?'' Liam wondered, ''Does she really think that such a gift will be enough to make me forget everything she did to me? Even if it''s invaluable, the Livral Orb is not enough¡­nothing ever will be¡­'' Liam didn''t really want to use the Livral Orb because that would mean he epted his mother''s gift, but he had to acknowledge that it was a powerful Orb. If he could upgrade his Arcane Power stat with the use of the Livral Orb, he could be stronger much faster. Furthermore, there were a few other advantages he could make use of, such as acquiring Arcanium from the hoarded power. The only issue was that he didn''t really want to think about Awakening his Bloodline. It was not something he wished to do in the past either because he denied wanting to be associated with his family just as much as they loathed him. But there was also a seed of doubt that had blossomed in his heart. All these years, he had already tried his best to be the strongest and take revenge while rejecting his bloodlines. And, the result was apparent. Everyone on his mother''s side was still alive, and Liam was alone. Everyone he had ever cared for was dead, and his strength had been taken away from him as well. In fact, it was the Livral Orb that had devoured his power until he was on the verge of death, drained of all his energy and power. ''If I can use the Livral Orb¡­and it gives me strength¡­along with enough power to take revenge...does it really matter what means I employed to take revenge?'' Liam asked himself, doubting his decisions of the past. If he hadn''t rejected his bloodlines, would those important to him be dead, or would they have survived? It was not even as if the Livral Orb would only awaken his Devil''s bloodline. On the contrary, both of his bloodlines would awaken with the power of the Livral Orb. He was a Halfling with two repulsing bloodlines coursing through his veins, after all! ''Will I awaken another Soultrait, a Soultrait rted to the human blood that courses through me?'' Liam began to question now that he was already thinking about the bloodlines inside him. Even though Liam could easily tell that his mother made Lira gift him the Livral Orb as a reward for conquering the Underground Tower, Liam chose to change his approach to revenge. Instead of rejecting his mother and his bloodlines, he now decided to ept them. It was not as if he could do anything against the blood that coursed through his veins. It was a part of his being, just like his gics were a part of his existence. ''Does she really think that she has everything under control?'' Liam shook his head, ignoring the gazes of the Natives. They were very interested in Liam and were keenly observing his expressions which were constantly changing for thest few minutes. ''If she wants me to be stronger, I shouldn''t reject it. After all¡­her arrogance, her maniptions, and the certainty that she has everything under control will inevitably lead to her death¡­I will make sure of that!'' Liam was satisfied with that thought. It irked him a little because he seemed to be having an internal conflict with respect to epting his bloodline now, but it would inevitably increase his strength drastically, and he was in dire need of more strength. The Shedim Champion Boss was already strong enough to nearly kill him. That was enough to show him that the dangers of the Arcane Apocalypse were not only something the Natives had to pay attention to but Liam as well. There were many monsters and members of other races who would have emerged on Haltan with one Arcane Circle or even two. After all, it was a matter-of-fact that one Elf with two Arcane Circles had emerged on Haltan. That was a fact Liam had to take into consideration. He didn''t want to die even before he was able to take revenge. Thus, he might have to do things that went against his ideals. In order to obliterate his family in the second attempt, he had to change. Staying the same person as he had been when he first tried to take them down wouldn''t make a difference. Thus, he grit his teeth and continued to stare nkly at the Livral Orb. Liam noticed something from the corner of his eyes but he didn''t really mind it. It was just Kian staring nkly at him. He knew that Kian was not happy with him. Kian might have never liked Ludwig, but Liam''splete indifference to a death of their group''s member was still grating on him. For Kian, this was a huge red g, a clear indicator that Liam would never care about them either, or would he? Kian was pretty sure that Liam didn''t really care about their lives. Sometimes, Liam might pay some attention to them but that didn''t feel genuine, not after he witnessed how Liam reacted to Ludwig''s death. His reaction was imprinted in Kian''s mind, and he couldn''t get it out of his head anymore. Thus, Kian came to a conclusion. He pped his thighs, cleared his throat, and made a short, yet decisive announcement. "I will leave the group!" Chapter 91 Separation ?"I will leave the group!" Kian''s announcement caused everyone to look at him. Even Liam couldn''t help but look over at Kian. He noticed that the young athlete didn''t seem to like him a lot. This feeling intensified after Ludwig''s death. Despite that, leaving the group meant that Kian would be all by himself. Kian was not stupid. He knew that countless dangers awaited him in the future. The experiences in the Underground Tower showed this quite clearly. "I will return to Felix and join his group. At least, I can make sure that I will protect others, rather than watching the people around me die without anyone bothering about his death!" Kian said bitterly, gritting his teeth as if he was holding back his anger. Liam watched this with a raised eyebrow. "Do you think you have what it takes to protect the Natives there?" He asked, neither angered nor coldly. In fact, Liam''s voice was filled with a trace of interest. He wanted to know what kind of nonsense was going on in Kian''s head. "Even if I don''t have what it takes to protect others, I will improve, be stronger and be a person I can be proud of. I will always give my best and grieve every death we will have to face!" Kian said, his voice climbing an octave with every spoken word. To Liam, this sounded like Kian was trying to convince himself rather than others by raising his voice. "Keep in mind that you will be med for their deaths," Liam said, getting up from the ground. He walked over, picked up his pan, and cleaned it using some Arcane Power to remove the stains and fat before he reattached it to the Keychain of Miniature Items, "If you''re not strong enough to protect everyone, you will be med. Humans always seek fault in others rather than epting that they were simply too weak to handle the problems on their own. Well, it is not only humans but let''s leave it at that. Sometimes you will hate your own people, one way or another. Keep that in mind when you leave." Liam wasn''t trying to convince Kian to stay by his side. He would never force anyone to stick to him. Of course, if he didn''t want someone to leave him, he would say that out loud. However, at the end of the day, he would never force anyone to be around him. "What the hell?! Kian¡­what¡­why??? We can be much stronger by staying by Liam''s side. What the hell do you want to do in Felix''s group??" Rex asked, bbergasted about his best friend''s decision. Rex and Kian had been friends for a decade by now. In fact, they knew each other from the day they were born. Their parents had already been best friends and the two boys had spent most of their free time and time in school together. That made it even harder for Rex to understand what was going on in Kian''s mind. "I understand that you''re feeling a little iffy after Ludwig died¡­bute on¡­he was a piece of shit and his arrogance led to his doom, not Liam," Rex pointed out while adding the most crucial point, "He nearly killed Felicia as well!" Neither Felicia nor Ludwig were their friends, but it was a fact that Ludwig had nearly killed one of his teammates. That was not something Rex could ept. He didn''t want to imagine what would have happened if Kian had been the one Ludwig nearly killed, instead of Felicia. Rex was pretty sure that he would have killed Ludwig with his own hands. The sheer reminder of Ludwig''s actions was enough for Rex to fume in anger. "Is that actually how you think?" Kian asked. He sounded a little sad and disappointed in his best friend and shook his head. "I just don''t think that I am fit to stay in this group. Sooner orter, I would have to go up against my ideals¡­and I don''t want to do that," He mumbled, "You know¡­he is a Halfling, and many humans will hate him¡­I don''t want to fight other humans, and neither do I want to witness them being torn apart by Liam. I would never kill another human¡­not as long as I can talk things out, or prevent it in any possible way¡­and I believe, that is not something I can do while being in Liam''s group¡­" Kian didn''t even dare to look into Liam''s eyes anymore. He thought that Liam was enraged and that he would attack him. Just recall thest time when Liam was enraged and the pressure the halfling exuded caused Kian to shudder and lower his head. Liam, however, was unfazed. He didn''t think that Kian said anything wrong. If he couldn''t kill other humans right now, he was better off leaving his group. That was a fact. However, it was also a fact that Kian would die if he was unwilling to kill other humans. Sooner orter, he would understand that his ideals had to be tweaked or that he had to throw them asidepletely. "I will leave this group," Kian repeated, "...even if you won''te with me, Rex!" Rex swallowed his saliva at that line. He looked at his best friend while biting his lower lip. Seeing the unbreakable determination and conviction in his eyes, Rex sighed deeply. He was angry and felt helpless as well. But there was not much for him to say. Rex looked over to Liam as if he was seeking help from him and putting some sense into his best friend. Yet, upon seeing that Liam didn''t even think of saying a word, he realized that it was truly over. There was only a glint in Liam''s eyes that seemed to speak volumes. Rex saw this and he forced a small sad smile on his face. "You know¡­you might be a warrior, someone who was born and raised on the battlefield¡­you''re trying to act harsh and cold¡­but I actually think that you have a soft heart," Rex said quietly, while looking Liam deep in the eyes. "It''s just hard for you to open up to others because you lost so many people that were important to you¡­" "Thank you for opening up a little. I know we didn''t spend a lot of time together, but I can tell that it was not easy for you to share things about your friends and family¡­" "...I hope you find peace soon¡­Revenge will never satisfy you¡­it was never supposed to satisfy anyone¡­" Chapter 92 Reward Hall (1) ?Just like that, Rex and Kian left the Underground Tower. They took their weapons and left without looking back or without bidding farewell to the other members. There was no need for them to speak to Olivia and the others. Everyone could make their own decision. Kian chose to leave, and Rex chose to follow him. Rex would have remained at Liam''s side if not for Kian, but his friend was more important to him than a halfling he met a few days ago. Furthermore, he thought that it was time for them to start searching for their families. If they were still alive, it was better to reunite sooner rather than toote. "I will find peace," Liam mumbled to himself as the two boys left, "¡­once I have my revenge!" Rex''sstments were a little hard on him but Liam didn''t show that. He was expressionless as he opened his status window to take a look at the amount of Arcanium he had amassed and how much time he had left with the Small Shop. [Arcanium: 661.1] [Small Shop Countdown <12D:18H:52M:24S>] There was still more than enough time with the Small Shop. However, Liam wanted to buy the Small Shop to receive its ownership. With the Ownership certificate, many things would be a lot easier. However, for now, he had to earn a lot more Arcanium before he could purchase the Small Shop. That was why he had entered the Underground Tower, and also enough reason for him to be quite happy about his little sister''s petty attitude and that she was a spoiled brat. If not for her being spoiled and petty, she would have never added a mine to the Reward Hall, even less a Saphirate Crystal Mine. His little sister knew that this crystal was useless in the Underworld. Other than its appearance being shiny and somewhat decent, it was useless¡­but only in the Underworld. In the Overworld, Saphirate Crystals were extremely valuable. Of course, his sister would never find out about something like that because her knowledge was limited to the Underworld. She only knew that a Saphirate Crystal Mine was in her territory and that nobody desired it in the Underworld. ''''Lira, you will never realize how valuable certain things are for others¡­just because they''re not useful for you, or other Demons and Devils, doesn''t mean that they''re trash. Ignorant bitch!'''' Liam was muttering to himself but he noticed that the three remaining girls stared at him. He stopped abruplty and looked over to them. "Are you nning to leave as well?" He thus asked, pretty sure that the question was not actually needed. Olivia had expressly stated that she would have killed Ludwig herself. Her train of thought was even worse than Liam''s nonchnt attitude. Meanwhile, Felicia would have loved to impale Ludwig with her ck Steel Saber as well. She would stay by Olivia''s side, recover from her injuries and then decide what they would do in the future. That only left Jennie, a young native woman, who was not willing to find out what the future had in store for her. She was good at finding treasures though. She stayed by the other girls, thinking that this was the best choice. After all, someone had already attempted to rape her before, and Jennie didn''t really wish to go back to the huge gymnasium where the incident urred. "We will stay," Olivia answered Liam''s question while getting up from the ground as she was ready to follow him. Felicia forced her tired body to move as well. Her injuries had mostly healed but her body felt a little weak. She would need a few more days to regain her full strength. "Are you happy that you have all women for yourself now?" She teased. Felicia winked at him, only to realize that Olivia and Jennie started to re at her threateningly. "I was just joking. Calm down¡­please." Liam raised an eyebrow but he didn''t say anything. He turned in the direction of thergest tunnel and entered it. His eyes moved left and right as he scanned it thoroughly, with the Devil''s Eyes Soultrait fully unleashed. Because his arm was still not fully healed, he was having some difficulties removing all traps as he walked through the tunnel that spiraled further down into the ground. There were hundreds of traps in the tunnel that never seemed to end. Liam understood why Olivia and the others were worried about the traps. Even he couldn''t be certain that he found every single trap in the tunnel. "Follow closely behind me and be mindful of your steps, otherwise, you might trigger some of the traps that I didn''t find," He warned the girls behind him as he continued his path downward. By the time they finally reached the Reward Hall of the Underground Tower, more than an hour had passed. Jennie immediately shot forward, her eyes gleaming brightly. "Something is behind there. It''s really valuable!" Jennie said, barely able to contain her excitement. Her Soultrait was going wild, telling her that something extremely valuable was hidden behind the wall of the Reward Hall. That confused Liam a little. After all, the Saphirate Crystal Mine should be to their left. The entrance was to their left, at least. Or was he mistaken? Was a portion of the mine to their right as well, just hidden behind the wall? Liam looked at Jennie for a few seconds and nodded his head. He used some Arcane Power while retrieving his Keychain of Miniature Tools to expand the mining pickaxe from the keychain. Putting the Livral Orb aside, he began to mine through the basalt wall. Liam''s left arm was still unusable and hurting. Thus, he held the mining pickaxe with his right, cleaving it down on the basalt with just one hand. His muscles were bulging beneath his skin as he stroke hard on the basalt. The basalt shattered beneath the might he was able to unleash with a single arm. Small pieces of basalt crumbled and drizzled to the ground with every strike he issued. In less than half an hour, Liam had dug a small hole through the wall and he saw something quite interesting behind the basalt wall. And it was not a second entrance of the Saphirate Crystal Mine. That was for sure! Chapter 93 Reward Hall (2) ?The Reward Hall of the underground tower didn''t look too special. It was just an underground cer with basalt walls that had a dark and mysterious look to it. The entire Reward Hall was only dimly illuminated, but that was enough to make out the rough and jagged walls. They were made of dense ck volcanic rock that had cooled down and solidified over a long period of time. A few flickering torches jutted out of the walls at odd intervals, creating the illusion that Shadows were dancing across the walls, casting eerie shapes on the rough surface. When Jennie saw them, she let out a shriek. She had been too focused on the sensation she received from her Soultrait that she had momentarily forgotten about the dangers of the Underground Tower. The Tower might have been conquered by them but there were still many undetected traps. Furthermore, it was not certain whether there were any more Shedim lurking in the shadows that had to be defeated, or if thest ones had been annihted for good. Liam took a good look around, ignoring Jennie''s scream. He was the most intrigued about the thing he had seen on the other side of the wall through the hole. It had taken him a lot of time and effort to smash into the basalt wall next to the tunnel they had taken to walk into the Reward Hall. However, it was still better to take a proper look through the Reward Hall to make sure that it was safe to break through the basalt wallpletely. Breathing some air in through the nose, he figured that the air was cool and musty, with the scent of damp earth and stone. There was also a tingling sensation in his nose. It made him recall the familiar feeling many people got when they were too close to the dust of Saphirate Crystals. The entrance to the Saphirate Crystal Mine was not far away from their current position. There was an arched gateway that led to the Saphirate Crystal Mine. Several glistening crystals entered his view but he didn''t rush over to collect them immediately. He continued to take a look at all the shelves and chests in the Reward Hall. They were old and covered with cobwebs but there were still quite a few objects of interest. Liam took a look at all of them and he organized a few things on therge wooden table that stood in the center of the underground cer, which was basically what the Reward Hall was. Despite the darkness and mustiness, Liam felt that there was something very unique about this room. It radiated a sense of timelessness, almost as if the walls and floor had ovee centuries and as if they would be able to stay just like this for many more centuries to follow. "Eh¡­Liam?" Felicia''s voice dragged Liam out of his thoughts. He turned around and noticed that Jennie, Felicia, and Olivia were staring through the hole he had made in the basalt wall. The girls were staring at the same object Liam had seen earlier. It was arge mass ofpressed Arcane Power that had been stored in purple marble. The purple marble transformed the Arcane Power and released it, creating fissures in the space around them. "This is a Rift. It probably connects the Shedim with Haltan. Lira probably made some sort of deal with the Monarch of the Shedim. I guess, she didn''t pay a single crystal for the creation of the entire Underground Tower, and earned a vast fortune in exchange for simply allowing the Shedim to create a pathway to Haltan," Liam exined a bit. The fissure in space was opening purple swirling vortexes of energy that pulsated and crackled with transformed Arcane Power. The edges of the Rift were jagged and irregr, with tendrils of Arcane Power reaching out like branches or grasping fingers. The darkness within the rifts seemed to absorb all avable light, creating a deep inky void in the centermost area. The Arcane Power around the Rift was intense, with waves of Arcane Power that could be felt even from Liam''s position. The girls felt uneasy at the sight of the Rift and they hurriedly looked over at him. "Shouldn''t we destroy it then?" Olivia asked, not too sure how to actually do it. But she was sure that Liam had a solution for that as well. "Destroy it? With our strength? I''m sorry, but we''re not some Infernal or Divine beings yet. We can only watch in awe," Liam responded with a faint chuckle. It would take a while before Liam, or anyone else on Haltan attained enough strength to attempt controlling rifts. Destroying them was a little different matter, but Liam had never attained the necessary strength to destroy, or even control Rifts. Thus, he couldn''t really say much about that. "But even if we cannot destroy them, this thing definitely can!" Liam said in a determined tone, lifting the Livral Orb which he had pocketed not a long time ago. He put the Livral Orb away and retrieved the mining pickaxe. It didn''t take too much effort to expand the hole in the basalt wall. In only fifteen minutes, he could squeeze through the gap in the wall. The Rift was in a separate room with a single tunnel leading the emerging Shedim to the hall of the Boss Monster. Now that no Boss Monster existed anymore, the Rift was unprotected. If Liam wanted to, he could just enter the Rift and emerge on the other side. Of course, that was not something he would do. He didn''t really want to return to the Underworld anytime soon. The next time he would set foot in the Underworld would be for the day of his revenge! That was what Liam nned to do. He stretched out the Livral Orb and willed it to devour the Rift. At first, nothing happened. Several seconds turned into half a minute but there was still no change. That was enough reason for Liam to frown deeply and stare at the Livral Orb more intently. What Liam didn''t notice was that huge fangs, glistening in a shing white light had manifested around the rift. Just as Liam was about to say something, a huge maw filled with hundreds of white fangs snapped out of the ground. As for the Rift, it had been swallowed whole! Chapter 94 Cavern System ?"Damn¡­" Liam mumbled, watching the huge maw disappearing in the ground once again. The Rift vanished as well, leaving behind an empty room. He swallowed his saliva and looked through the room to see if there were any remnants of the rift''s existence but there was nothing. It was almost as if the Rift had been swallowed whole, leaving nothing behind. [The Livral Orb devoured the Lesser Rift to the Nest of the Shedim(Underworld).] [Digesting the Lesser Rift requires 24 hours. The produced Arcane Power will be stored in the Livral Orb''s storage, and can then be used, or sold at will!] The impression of the huge maw devouring the Lesser Rift had been imprinted in his mind, and it looked like he was not the only one. While he was still able to control his expression, the girls were having a hard time doing so. Jennie screamed out in shock. She hurriedly retreated a few steps and began to shiver in fright. Felicia was doing a little better. She flinched and her eyes began to quiver while taking a single step back. Meanwhile, Olivia''s mind seemed to have nked out at the sight of the huge maw. "We got a useful asset with the Livral Orb," Liam muttered in a satisfied tone, nodding his head as he looked at the orb. He was not too sure how much Arcane Power or Arcanium he could acquire from a Lesser Rift, but it shouldn''t be little. A Rift was quite valuable, even for Lira. The Devil Duchess must have used her own resources or must have drained the royal treasury of the Shedims to manifest the Lesser Rift in her Underground Tower. One way, or another, the Lesser Rift was now his. It would be digested and slowly turned into Arcane Power, which Liam could then use to elerate his healing process, hopefully. His Vitality was quite high but he continued to drink potions made by the Elven to elerate the healing process even further. That way, he spent close to 100 Arcanium, while simultaneously cutting down his resting period to around one day. That was something he could ept. He should be fully healed by the time the Livral Orbpleted digesting the Lesser Rift. As for what would happen after that, Liam was not too sure. Even though he found it logical to awaken his bloodlines in order to take revenge, his greed made him feel like rejecting his father and mother in every possible way. However, that was just his selfish thinking. He knew that it was illogical and not feasible. Furthermore, rejecting his bloodline didn''t mean that it would suddenly stop coursing through his veins. That mindset was ignorant and delusional. The girls nodded their heads, agreeing that the Livral Orb was useful. It removed the potential threat of the Rift in an instant while leaving behind a pretty intense impression. The girls were pale. They stared at Liam, who returned to the Reward Hall. "If you find more treasures, tell me about them," Liam said to Jennie, who nodded her head, "I wouldn''t have found the Rift easily without your help!" Liam figured that it was necessary to praise Jennie. He would give out praises when they were well deserved. Finding the Rift was not easy and it saved him the trouble of spending a few days roaming through the tunnels that connected to the Boss Monster''s hall. Jennie deserved a word of apud, that was for sure! "I will do that!" She eximed. Jennie had stopped shivering and her eyes started to glimmer brightly. Getting appreciated by the halfling was not something Jennie would think about. In the past, she had been praised a lot for all kinds of things, even her beauty. However, praises from Liam were different. He never really acknowledged anyone. Liam was more of the person who delivered feisty punches with the intention to make sure that the people around him would improve. Rather than giving nice advice, he would be cold and harsh. Thus, his appreciation was worth a lot more than any other praises Jennie had heard in the past. "Let''s go mine some Saphirate Crystals then." Liam couldn''t really do much with only one arm either, but he was not willing to waste a full day doing nothing. Time was of the essence and the only rest he wanted to give himself was when his body was in dire need of sleep, or when he was scrolling through the Arcane Shop and other shops. Other than that, he didn''t really feel like resting. He never knew when the Underground Tower might copse. Maybe his sister created a dirty mechanism that caused the destruction of the tower after it had been conquered for a certain amount of time. Liam was not sure about that. Thus, he wanted to finish his business deep underground quickly and return to the surface. He made his way to the entrance of the Saphirate Crystal Mine and smiled at the sight that unfolded in front of him. A vast cavern system stretched out before him. Its walls were shimmering with the bright blue light of countless Saphirate Crystals. They were of various sizes but all of them were sapphire in color, and they reflected the lights that shone on them brightly. The crystals were everywhere. They protruded from the walls, the ceiling, and the ground in every direction, almost like miniature skyscrapers. The massive number of Saphirate crystals all around them created a mystical sensation that was filled with otherworldly beauty. Liam wanted to take a look at the size of the Saphirate Crystal Mine. He made his way deeper into the system, where he saw that the cavern walls were growing taller, their cliffs dotted with more and more Saphirate Crystal clusters. His nose itched, while the muffled sound of his footsteps echoed softly through the cave and the surrounding turned more and more beautiful. The entire cavern system was illuminated brightly. There was not a single corner void of the bright blue light that could be found everywhere. The beauty of the cave was indescribable. But that was saddening to the girls who had been bewitched by the beauty of the Saphirate Crystal Mine. They knew that Liam would take it all to earn a fortune. Even though they knew that it was important to make profits, the three girls couldn''t help but feel a little bit sad. They didn''t want nature''s beauty to disappear. Of course, Liam couldn''t care less about that! Chapter 95 Wealth ?Even if his sister and most other Devils and Demons didn''t acknowledge that Saphirate Crystals were actually worth something, the truth was certainly different. Saphirate Crystals had many unique uses. They could be turned into natural sources of light, ground into a powder that could be used to create Saphira Water, a fundamental ingredient for arge collection of potions, and unique weapons could be created with different types of alloys that required molten Saphirate. The manufactured goods that require Saphirate Crystals were not of a high rank or quality, but the Saphirate Crystal was still a Circleless D+ Rank item that could rarely be found inrge quantities. Selling them for 0.1 Arcanium per kilogram would result in most races throwing their entire wealth at him. After all, one didn''t require a huge quantity of Saphirate powder to create Saphira Water. By investing in the Saphirate Crystals, they would inevitably rake in a profit ten times higher than the Arcanium they had invested. But, of course, Liam would never sell a kilogram of Saphirate crystals for a measly price of 0.1 Arcanium. The price he chose to sell the Saphirate crystals was 0.5 Arcanium per kilogram. The demand for Saphirate Crystals might not be humongous at this point, but many alchemists and big families would still invest in the Saphirate Crystals. After all, one would never be able to get their hands on such cheap resources in bulk anytime soon. Saphirate Crystals were extremely rare, after all! "If you want to earn some Arcanium as well, you should start mining right away. The profit share is still the same as before. Everything you guys hand over to me to sell will give you a 30% share of the profits," Liam rified while staring at the Saphirate Crystal Mine. Liam was not exactly sure how many kilograms of Saphirate Crystals could be mined in the Mine but it was definitely in the range of thousands of kilograms. After all, one big Saphirate Crystal might already weigh hundreds of kilograms! After Liam said what he had to say, he turned his attention away from the girls. He didn''t think that it was important to preserve the Saphirate Crystal Mine. It would be raided sooner orter, either way. Liam would rather destroy it and earn a fortune instead of allow others to earn the wealth he could have imed all for himself instead. With that in mind, Liam started to harvest the Saphirate Crystals of the Mine. He worked tirelessly with one arm first, before he switched over to using his other arm as well once it had healed enough. In the blink of an eye, an entire week had passed. Liam and the three girls hadn''t seen a glimpse of sunlight for close to ten days. The female Natives were slowly getting frustrated and they began to nag to Liam, telling him that it was about time to return to the surface. Liam ignored their pleas most of the time. However, after an entire week had passed underground, he had finally earned enough Arcanium to purchase everything he required for the next few steps of his n. Furthermore, there was something else Liam had experimented with by utilizing the Arcane Power hoarded by the Livral Orb. When Liam was first notified about the number of Arcanium he could obtain from the Arcane Power that had been created by devouring a single Lesser Rift, he had been shocked. But that was only obvious because it was simply unexpected. [The Arcane Power umted within the Livral Orb can be sold to the Arcane System for 10,000 Arcanium!] When Liam saw the notification for the first time, he had a mad urge to sell the hoarded Arcane Power right away. Fortunately, he didn''t actually follow his instincts and held himself back. 10,000 Arcanium was a humongous sum, enough to purchase various treasures, even a few Lesser Relics. However, Liam wanted to use the hoarded Arcane Power to temper his body on a continuous basis. He wanted to increase his Arcane Power stat quickly, without wasting his wealth. After all, a single increase in rank of his Arcane Power Stat that had been at [D+] would have cost 1000 Arcanium already. This was only a single rank increase from [D+] to [C-]. The subsequent increments would be far more expensive. The 10,000 would probably be enough to increase his Arcane Power stat to [B-] but that was already it. With the hoarded Arcane Power inside the Livral Orb and constant tempering for seven days and only short breaks to eat, and rest, Liam''s Arcane Power stat increased by one rank. That was not even everything. By constantly using Arcane Power and controlling it precisely, his Will stat increased drastically as well. Furthermore, his physical capabilities were strengthened as well, allowing him to move faster and with more power. That way, he could easily temper his body by mining for seven days straight. Not only did his Strength, Agiltiy and Stamina stats increase, multiple times at that, but he even earned a vast fortune of Arcanium that was enough to initiate the next steps of the ns he had in his mind. And as if that was not enough, Liam could still sell the remaining Arcane Power hoarded inside the Livral Orb for more than 9000 Arcanium! Overall, Liam could be more than satisfied with his overall progress, even if he had yet to create his first Arcane Circle. His status window was the hard evidence of his tireless effort. ?¡ª-?Entity Details??¡ª-? [Liam Wandel] [Halfling] [Devil/Human] [Rank: Circleless] [Soultrait:¡ºDevil''s Eyes¡»] [Arcanium: 5002.6 ] ¡ª¡ª¡ª-?Stats?-¡ª¡ª¡ª [Vitality: (S)] [Strength: (D-)] [Agility: (D-)] [Stamina: (D-)] [Arcane Power: (C-)] [Will: (D)] ?___________________? The Small Shop still had a stock of more than 3,500 kilograms of Saphirate Crystals that had to be sold but Liam chose to ignore them for the time being. He would slowly and steadily receive the Arcanium from the sales of his Small Shop, either way. But for now, Liam figured that he had to focus on using up his hard-earned Arcanium. He couldn''t leave the Small Shop as a temporary asset, after all! Chapter 96 Owner ?"Purchase the Small Shop and create a tiny warehouse to hoard goods!" Liam ordered the Arcane System which resulted in a notification popping up in front of him. [The Ownership certificate of the Small Shop can be purchased for 2000 Arcanium. Expanding the Small Shop to build a tiny warehouse costs an additional 500 Arcanium. Proceed with the purchase?] "Yes! Open up the AI System of the Small Shop as well, and change its name to ''Early Birds''," Liam added after giving it some thought. [The host has received the ownership certificate of the Small Shop ''Early Birds''. The tiny warehouse is being built.] [The Host has be the owner of his own Small Shop. Achievement¡ºShop Owner¡»has been attained] [+25 Arcanum have been rewarded!] [AI of the Early Birds Shop has been installed. Please configure the AI ording to your needs!] Liam felt a pang in his heart when he realized that half of his hard-earned Arcanium had disappeared in the blink of an eye. It was a little sad, even though he had known about the shop''s price. Expanding the Small Shop any further would be a fruitless task. He didn''t really have the necessary fortune to expand it further, either way. Instead, he began to configure the Shop''s AI. He connected the AI to the warehouse, gave it 500 Arcanium, and configured it in a way to disy various specific, easily preservable materials and goods at the forefront. All of these had their prices below a certain threshold. The Shop''s AI could take a look at all existing shops. After all, it was connected to the Arcane System. That way, Liam started to hoard a bunch of materials, which were supposed to be useful in the future. He couldn''t be certain how intelligent his purchase was but Liam could only hope for the best possible oue. Because of that, Liam purchased a few more things he might need in the near future. [1x¡ºPortable Smithy (A Rank)¡»has been purchased. 555 Arcanium have been deducted! [1x ¡ºEnchanted Forging Hammer(A Rank¡»has been purchased. 150 Arcanium have been deducted! [1x¡º500 ck Tarthear Needles(D Rank)¡»has been purchased. 45 Arcanium have been deducted!] [1x ¡º100 Lumina Needles (D Rank)¡»has been purchased. 50 Arcanium have been deducted!] [1x ¡ºStorage Rune(Lowest) ¡»has been purchased. 1000 Arcanium have been deducted!] [Arcanium: 227.6] Golden currents of light glimmered brightly as the goods he purchased materialized in front of him. The portable smithy was stored in a small marble that would expand upon inserting Arcane Power into it, while the Enchanted Forging Hammer looked like just an ordinary forging hammer with a slightlyrger head that was azure-colored. Other than that, the needles were something Liam was already familiar with. On the other hand, the Storage Rune was something Liam had never possessed in his life. He was quite astonished that it could be purchased in the Arcane Shop just like that. The golden currents that began to shroud his right hand were, in fact, the Storage Runes. They were etched on the back of his right hand where they glowed dimly. Liam felt a connection to the rune almost immediately and he essed it by using some Arcane Power. An empty white space opened in his mind. He could store all kinds of items inside and retrieve them at will as well. It was a lot faster than essing the Small Shop and retrieving something. Liam might not have gotten his hands on a proper weapon yet but once that would change, he would have to be ready to fight at any moment. He wanted to seem unarmed at the first nce to unsuspecting opponents, just to be fully armed and ready to kill a quarter of a secondter. Liam could achieve this by purchasing a spatial ring, or a storage relic. However, they were pretty expensive and their value would deteriorate the more space he required. It was not possible to naturally expand the size of storage relics. That meant he would have to purchase new spatial rings or storage relics whenever his storage space was fully used up. That was something he could work on with the Storage Rune. It could be expanded with the use of the Arcane System. That was pretty helpful, and it was something Liam was looking forward to use the Storage Rune. After all, the realm he came from didn''t have those kinds of runes. They originated from a different Realm, and Liam got to know them only because he had fought a few powerful Warriors from that realm in the past. "If you have a thousand Arcanium to spare, purchase the Lowest-grade Storage Rune. It will form a small rune on the back of your right hand and connect you to an external space that allows you to store items. The storage space is rather small at first but with enough Arcanium, you can expand the space slowly over time. It''s more efficient than storage relics," Liam advised, ncing over to the girls who had been eyeing him curiously for a while now. He had been ying around with the Storage Rune, testing a few things to make sure that he could secure his few possessions inside the Storage Rune''s space. "Ohhh" Felicia eximed, smiling slightly at Liam''s exnation. However, spending a thousand Arcanium for a small secret storage space was still a bit much to ask for. They might have enough Arcanium but they had to spend it wisely. After all, they had to increase theirbat power to survive in the Arcane Apocalypse! "Does that mean, you''re done now and we can leave the Underground Tower¡­finally?" Felicia asked, her eyes glimmering with hope. It was about time to smell some fresh air, get back to the surface, and beat up some monsters! Felicia didn''t even notice that she was slowly adapting to the deadliness of the Arcane Apocalypse. Her mind had already epted that she would have to face ferocious monsters on the surface, and that there was the possibility of her or her friends'' death. Liam, however, noticed it. He looked at Felicia and the other girls. Jennie seemed a little odd today, unsure whether she should be happy that they would leave the Underground Tower soon, or if it would be better for them to stay underground forever. Olivia looked calm andposed. Reading her expression was a little difficult, so Liam didn''t bother with it. "If the three of you are done preparing everything, we can leave." Chapter 97 Surface ?[1x ¡ºPotion of Agile[Luck-based](C rank¡»has been purchased. 200 Arcanium have been deducted!] A ss bottle with green contents appeared in Liam''s hand as he and the girls made their way back to the surface. He removed the lid of the vial and swallowed the contents in an instant before throwing the empty bottle aside. [¡ºPotion of Agile(Luck-based]¡»¨CCircleless C Rank¨C Description: The Potion of Agile increases the user''s Agility stat by one sub-rank as long as the user''s Agility stat has yet to reach [E]. If the user''s Agility stat is higher than [E] the chance of a sessful enhancement in his/her agility decreases drastically. Remark: The Potion of Agile has a low chance to increase the user''s Agility stat by up to three sub-ranks. May the odds always be in your favor!]. Liam didn''t really believe in luck. He was pretty sure that his Agility stat wouldn''t increase to the C rank all of a sudden. That would be great, but the chance was infinitely low. In fact, he would be more than happy if his Agility stat increased by even one sub-rank. After all, his Agility was already at [D-]! He was already d when he felt a surge of strength coursing through his body. His body warmed and he felt a little lighter than before. [The Host''s Agility increased.] ''A bit of an increase is better than nothing. Definitely worth 200 Arcanium.'' Liam was quite satisfied with his gains. Liam was not sure how fast others would progress, or how long it would take before he would encounter more and stronger opponents but he felt that he was ready to face a few powerful opponents. The Saphirate Crystals in the Early Birds Shop were slowly being sold and his Arcanium began to increase once again. He also had the Livral Orb that could replenish his Arcane Power in an instant. There was no need for him to use potions to replenish his Arcane Power during a battle. While using the Livral Orb, it would be quite difficult for anyone to drain him of all of his Arcane Power. Killing him would be easier than draining his entire Arcane Power either way. Arcanium may be more versatile because one could buy almost everything as long as one had enough Arcanium, but Liam was pretty sure that the Arcane Power stored inside the Livral Orb was better off staying there. He had to use the Livral Orb to initiate the awakening of his bloodlines, either way. That was basically the most important reason why he had yet to figure out what to do with all the energy amassed inside the Livral Orb. Awakening his bloodlines was something Liam had not been able to do so far. Liam had always rejected his bloodline because he loathed both sides of his family to the core. However, if he could use his bloodlines to take revenge on everyone who dared to take away the people he loved the most, it was only reasonable to ept them and awaken his bloodlines. It was not as if Liam could change his family just because he loathed them just as much as they hated him. Awakened or not, the blood coursing through his veins didn''t change. When they reached the surface, the dazzling sun of the early morning greeted them. Felicia let out a squeal, revealing the bright smile everyone had gotten familiar with by now. She ran around in joy, happy to be finally back on the surface. Taking a few deep breaths of the fresh air, Felicia felt alive. Jennie, infested by Felicia''s joy, joined the girl. She ran up to Felicia and the two behaved like 5-year-olds, a sight that amused Liam. Felicia was being more yful than the way she did since Liam got to know her. The Arcane Apocalypse had just started when Liam got to know Jennie, and their first meeting hadn''t actually been that pleasant. Jennie had nearly been vited by several men at the same time. Liam had saved her out of instinct and because he wanted to earn some Arcanium, which had been quite fruitful at that time. Meanwhile, Olivia remained next to Liam. She looked at the two ying girls with a faint smile on her lips and didn''t say a thing for a good minute or two. Liam and Olivia had noticed that both Jennie and Felicia had been deep in thought for the past few days. He didn''t want to probe and appear nosy because they could simply say if something bothered them. Whether Liam would adjust himself or not was apletely different point though. "You know, they don''t really want to separate from you either. They can tell that you might be a little bit harsh on them and that you act like a jerk sometimes, but they also know that you want them to be stronger to survive what is bound to happen in the near future. They know that if they don''t work hard, everything will crush down on them soon enough and that your words are exactly what they need to force themselves to keep working hard," Olivia started speaking. She was not much of a talker, but today seemed different. Liam didn''t know what awaited him but he would know soon enough. "But both Jennie and Felicia are missing their families. During the entire week we spent underground, they worried about their families. They know that they''re too weak to save others because it is already too hard for them to survive without your help. From what you''ve told us, you hate your family. I, or rather, we don''t know what exactly happened between you and your family, but I know that Felicia''s family is kind, loving, and caring¡­So¡­if you have no detailed n to pursue¡­can we make a short detour to take a look at their families?" Olivia inquired, carefully looking over to Liam to analyze his reaction. However, there was not much of a reaction. That was a little unexpected in Olivia''s opinion. But what she expected even less was that Liam would look over to her and ask the question she had been trying to avoid to hear. "What about your family? Do you not want to look for them?" Chapter 98 Family ?Felicia and Jennie worried a lot about their families'' well-being. They were very close to their family and it killed them on the inside that they couldn''t reach them at all. The inte had stopped working with the emergence of Arcane Power, and phone calls didn''t work either. In fact, all means ofmunication had been turned useless with the appearance of Arcane Power. This included the use of radios, the inte, phones, satellitemunication and so on. The two girls, who had just been enjoying themselves now that they were back on the surface after being in the sticky and musty underground for close to ten days, heard what Olivia asked. They hadn''t expected Olivia to ask Liam to change his ns for them, but she did. It was obvious that they couldn''t survive on their own. None of them was strong enough to kill a monstrous existence such as the Shedim Champion Boss alone. Yet, Liam killed the monstrosity on his own. He had received some help at the beginning of the battle but that was already it. The best solution would be to stay by Liam''s side and convince him to help them look for their families¡­or at least take a look at them. If their family was safe and sound, both Felicia and Jennie would feel much better! However, the two girls didn''t dare to say anything. They knew that it was not easy to speak to Liam when it came to family matters. The few things the girls had heard about Liam''s family, his rtionship with them, and what they had done to him, were more than enough to understand that family was not equal to love, kindness, and care as per his point of view. Thus, the girls remained silent while staring at Liam and Olivia. Without realizing it, Felicia and Jennie were giving each otherfort by holding each other''s hands tightly. "If they cannot survive on their own, then I don''t know why they raised me like this," Olivia said with a frown in response to Liam''s question. It was not exactly an exnation but Liam could guess the intent behind her words. Olivia had been raised to be an independent, proud, and powerful woman. She expected the same from the people who taught her to be like this. ''For a native, it is quite impressive of Olivia to be able to stay that calm and trust that her family was doing well,'' Liam thought. Olivia was clearly not that worried about her family, even though there was a glint of doubt in her eyes. She was still worried but trusted her family to look after themselves. Felicia and Jennie''s families were more important for the time being. The only n Liam had until now was to conquer the Underground Tower. The Saphirate Crystal Cave was a pleasant find, just like the Storage Rune, and so on. He couldn''t really make any ns without having any information about his surrounding area. He would have to know where he could acquire the most Arcanium in the shortest amount of time. That meant, the next few days would have to be spent on killing monsters while acquiring information. Most importantly, it was also to make sure that Jennie wouldn''t leave his side. Liam hadn''t suddenly grown fond of Jennie, but her Soultrait had attracted his attention. She was not a powerhouse or anything like that, but her Soultrait allowed her to find treasures. Relying on this Soultrait should allow Liam to be stronger, much faster than he had roughly nned at that. She had already earned him quite a bit, including a storage of Arcane Power equal to 10,000 Arcanium. If that was not enough reason to hold Jennie close, Liam didn''t know what else was. ''I can just acquire information while reuniting them with their families¡­I guess?'' Liam wondered while looking over to Felicia and Jennie. He looked at Felicia and wondered if he should just look for Jennie''s family. After all, she was the only one of ''use''. Almost as if Felicia understood what was going on in his mind, she rushed forward. "I can find out whatever you want me to know! My Soultrait is called the Truth of Arcanium, and I can do basically everything as long as I spend enough Arcanium!" Felicia said while proving her words by manifesting a small golden lightning bolt between her thumb and the index finger. "If you need information or something like that, I can provide it with great detail as long as I invest enough Arcanium!" It was evident that Felicia was reaching out for empty air. She had already given hints about her unique Soultrait before. However, Liam hadn''t seen them earlier. He was pretty sure that Felicia''s Soultrait was rted to a different personality that allowed her to fight valiantly like a crazed Berserker. That didn''t seem to be the case though. "Can you tell if someone lies?" Liam thus asked, not even thinking about hiding that he was hooked. "Of course, I can! I replicated Rex''s Soultrait in a weakened version for a few seconds by paying 1 Arcanium. If I use more Arcanium, I can copy other Soultraits and even create new ones. It might cost a little more but I can simply ask my Soultrait if someone''s words were the truth. That is what I did before we left the gymnasium. I asked the Truth of Arcanium if you''re lying and if you will kill us. If not for the answer I received, I wouldn''t have joined you!" Felicia hurriedly said before she slowly steered the topic in the direction of her desire. "My family members are fighters, you know. Well, my dad is a butcherer and he was a hunter in the past. My mom is a national level fencer¡­soo¡­" Felicia stopped speaking all of a sudden. She looked at Liam, hope gleaming in her eyes. Her intentions were obvious but that was not something Felicia was trying to hide. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have acted so desperately before. Liam thought about it and he nodded his head. "Are your family members in this goldennd for student''s city, or whatever the city down there is called?" The girls squealed out in joy and they felt like rushing to Liam and giving him a big hug. However, Liam''s royal purple eyes stared down at them, subtly ordering them to calm down. Jennie was the first to halt in her tracks and open her mouth. "Th¡ª..." Before she could even finish the first word, Liam''s head flicked to the right, his Devil''s Eyes were fully unleashed and he shot forward. Just a momentter, a crossbow bolt shot through the air with terrific velocity, reaching Jennie''s head in no time. Then¡­it impacted¡­ ** If you want to support me use your golden tickets and powerstones. You can also visit my pa treon: Pa treon/HideousGrain More character images and nice chats about the HideVerse: https://discord.gg/EdsDgFVWwZ Link also in my description. Do you like it? Leave a review and add it to the library! Chapter 99 My Golden Goose! ?Jennie shrieked out loud as blood sttered on her face. She expected unbearable pain to follow soon after, but there was nothing. A loud thud, and blood. That was all she had heard and seen. Only a momentter, she saw tens of pieces of ck steel sttering through the surroundings while Liam appeared in front of him. The gxies within his royal purple eyes had been unsealed as he looked to his right, gritting his teeth. Liam had reacted quickly enough to the iing danger and deflected the attack. He had seen something that had attracted his suspicion and worry and had instinctively moved closer to Jennie. After all, the young woman was the only one standing in a bad position. Jennie was also weak and wouldn''t be able to evade a crossbow bolt fired at her head. Liam''s ck steel wrist protectors had turned into the ck Steel Shield the moment his hand shot past Jennie''s head. Merely a momentter, the crossbow bolt impacted hard on his arm. His ck Steel Shield shattered into tens of pieces and it continued to drill into his arm, though with a much weaker force than before. Liam was not too sure if his right arm was broken or not, but that was thest thing on his mind. "Who the hell allowed you fatass earthworms to attempt killing my golden goose!!" He roared out loudly while his head flicked to the right where a group of more or less 50 tiny, yet bulky humans, had appeared. They were all standing there, next to therge stone cliff, aiming their crossbows at Liam and his group after they had encountered them the moment they reached the top of the valley. "Tiny people?" Olivia asked quietly to herself. She had reacted too slowly to move and protect Jennie, but fortunately, that didn''t result in Jennie''s death. That gave Olivia the moment she needed to take a deep breath and analyze the neers. "No they aren''t tiny people¡­well they are, but they''re not human," Liam pointed out, ignoring Jennie who he was holding with his left hand to move her aside. His body covered her right side now, which felt safe and reassuring to Jennie. Despite that, her heart was pounding hard due to the near-death experience. She stared up to Liam, whose expression was slowly changing from being eerily calm to enraged. She clearly heard Liam calling her his golden goose, which caused her to mumble to herself. "I¡­do have a name though¡­" Olivia''s gaze flicked to Liam as he raised an eyebrow and asked, "Dwarves?" "Bingo," The Dwarves looked just like the tiny men and women one would imagine them to be. They were short, stocky, and muscr with long beards and rough faces. They were dressed in heavy armor and equipped with several weapons, including broadswords, and battleaxes that hung over their shoulders. They stared fiercely at Liam and the others. Interestingly enough, their focus was not on Liam, which gave him a lot o think about. Their faces showed signs of being experienced hunters, true warriors, with deep lines and scars etched on their skin, a testimony to their time spent on the battlefield. No matter what bad things Liam could reveal about Dwarves, they were physically strong, determined, and brave to an extent that it was borderline stupid. However, their bravery and physical strength were not something Liam was worried about right now. He had often dealt with Runic Dwarves, and they were a little harder to tackle. That was not an issue. The biggest difficulty while facing Dwarves was that they were usually extremely well-equipped. The Dwarven group of 50 members was all equipped with a full armor set, covering most of their vital areas. ''It has not even been a month since the Arcane Apocalypsemenced¡­and there is no First Circle Dwarf in the group,'' Liam analyzed in his mind rapidly, concluding that thebat power of the Dwarves was strong, but not too strong. Their defenses were strong, but not imprable either. The materials they had acquired were good but were not foolproof! Liam figured that there was only one big issue. There were a total of 50 dwarves with their weapons ready, facing Liam and the others, crossbows pointing straight at them, prepared to shoot at any moment. Their first shot was more of a warning, a demonstration of their might. It was quite obvious to see that they were a little astonished about Liam''s lightning-fast reflexes and the fact that he had stepped beside Jennie even before the crossbow bolt had been released, in the first ce. However, that was already it. The Dwarves quickly overcame their shock. Their minds were calm and they waited for any potential threatening movements from the group head. ''They all are breathing heavily¡­looks like you guys hiked a little with your heavy armors¡­'' Liam mumbled in his mind, taking into consideration that the Dwarves were exhausted and potentially unable to react quickly to his actions. The Dwarves were determined and a formidable force. The tension was palpable as the two groups faced off, none of them uttering a single word to each other. Liam was still a little angered that the dwarves attacked his golden goose, but anger was not something he needed right now. In fact, it could turn into his worst enemy while facing more and better equipped opponents. Though he was not too sure about thetter point, he had a few slow people around him. The moment he was to make a move, the girls would be torn and shredded by a bunch of crossbow bolts. "Get to the ground and move inside the Underground Tower, the moment I make a move," Liam instructed calmly while willing a Lumina Needle to manifest in his right hand. The Storage Rune flickered once and the white needle materialized where it was supposed to. "But we can hel¨C..." Olivia began, reluctant to leave the safety provided by Liam. However, she felt incapable of continuing to speak what was on her mind as Liam''s ice-cold eyes flicked over to her. "If you don''t want to die, and drag me down with you, go to the fucking Underground Tower!" He repeated, his voice colder than ice. "Right now!!" Chapter 100 One Versus 50 ?Dwarves were a long-living race that was known for their great craftsmanship, their physical strength, and their small poption. Encountering 50 of them at once, with all of them looking like seasoned soldiers had multiple meanings. Liam understood that quite well. However, he couldn''t really start examining the possibilities, not on the top of the valley, standing between the stone cliff and the underground tower''s entrance. That was why Liam had to make use of something else such as dirty tricks and petty means to gain an advantage. He released the Lumina Needle to the front, where it began to shine brightly not even a full secondter, four meters above the surface. Liam had closed his eyes for a short moment while running to the side. Simultaneously, he pushed Jennie to the side, giving her some momentum to rush faster toward the underground tower''s entrance. The underground tower was only a few meters away from its current position. In fact, Olivia wasn''t even two meters away from the entrance. She had been talking with Liam when Jennie had been attacked. Felicia and Olivia were the first to enter the Underground Tower. Jennie emerged inside the tower not long after them. The dazzling light of the Lumina Needle had yet to die down as the first round of crossbow bolts was released. A few bolts thundered through the entrance of the underground tower. They nearly hit Jennie and Felicia in the back, merely missing the two girls by a few centimeters. Liam, on the other hand, was not even close to getting struck by a crossbow bolt. He had dashed to the right side and ran close to ten meters before the bolts had been fired. When the crossbow bolts had been released, Liam changed his trajectory in an instant. He released the Arcane Kunai and threw it in the direction of the Dwarven group while slowly opening his eyes. ''36.'' He counted in his head. That was the number of bolts that had been released just now. At least, that was the number of sounds of the bows being released he had heard. Liam knew that he wasn''t far off from the truth and that he had roughly two seconds before the 36 crossbows would be drawn out again, a bolt ced in each, and the crossbow ready to be shot once again, aiming at him. Even if the Dwarves had a mechanism to draw the crossbow after it had been released, Liam was sure to roughly receive two seconds to make a move, and he was sure to exploit them to the limit. Now that he was not dazed from the Lumina Needle''s light anymore, he was running at the Dwarves at a full speed. Thus, the remaining drawn-out crossbows were a little bit annoying. Liam thus controlled the Arcane Kunai to elerate and cut through the strings of the crossbows that were pulled over in his direction to aim and shoot. Close to a third of the Arcane Kunai''s stored Arcane Power had been used to elerate the speed of the Lesser Relic. It was extremely fast and cutpletely through ten crossbow strings before the remaining drawn-out crossbows were triggered. Liam had fully unleashed the Devil''s Eyes. It allowed him to see and decipher the trajectory of the five crossbow bolts that were shot at him. He jumped to the side, quickly rolled over the ground, and got up in a single smooth motion that reduced his momentum only by a fraction. The remaining crossbow strings were cut through as well before Liam willed the Arcane Kunai toe back to him. It shot back into his hand before Liam released it once again. The remaining distance between him and the Dwarves had been reduced to less than ten meters and the remaining working crossbows were still not fully drawn out or ready to shoot. Liam released the Arcane Kunai once again while his left hand moved to his back, retrieving a Lumina Needle from the Casket of Trickery. Even after he bought the Storage Rune, Liam still continued to use the Caskets of Trickery. He had split up the Lumina Needles and ck Tarthear Needles with half of them stored in the Storage Rune and the rest in the Caskets of Trickery. He activated the Lumina Needle with his Arcane Kunai and threw it straight into the air while he pushed forward. The dazzling lights of the Lumina Needle emerged in the air behind Liam while his eyes were still wide open. He pushed forward while the Dwarves were forced to make a decision. They could either face him with the crossbow bolts, hoping that they would hit and kill him in an instant, or they could throw their crossbows aside and unsheathe their weapons. Both the Dwarves and Liam knew that if the second discharge of crossbow bolts wouldn''t hit and kill Liam then they wouldn''t have the time to hurriedly unsheathe their other weapons, charge at him, and start a closebat battle while being fully prepared. The Dwarves were bound to make a mistake in their haste to unsheathe their weapons. Even if they could smoothly get their hands on the weapons, Liam would still be faster, and even more so in retrieving the Arcane Kunai. And as if on cue, the Arcane Kunai pierced through the neck of the closest Dwarf in front of Liam, making blood stter all around. The Arcane Kunai''s de pierced easily through the thick chainmail that covered the parts of the body that even the full set of heavy armor couldn''t cover without restricting the wearer. It was almost as if the chainmail didn''t even exist, in the first ce. Warm blood gushed out of the Dwarf who stumbled backward before he copsed on the ground and died miserably in the puddle of warm blood that formed around him. The Arcane Kunai didn''t stop there. It shot back to Liam who threw it out again, while pounding into the mass of fifty¡­or rather 49 remaining Dwarven Warriors. [Adult Silverheart Dwarf has been yed] [+1.5 Arcanium] Chapter 101 Silverheart Dwarves ?Silverheart Dwarves had strong hearts and bodies. They were not the fastest but their resilience was said to be top-notch. Unfortunately, having high physical strength and being good at defending was not exactly helpful if their opponent could still pierce through the defenses. The Arcane Kunai was a Lesser Relic with a razor-sharp de that had been forged in the maw of a dying drake using the Essence of a ckleara Swordfish. It was sharp enough to cut through metal, yet Liam had further honed the de with the Xaltalite Whetsone, a unique sharpening tool that provided the sharpened de an additional temporary effect as long as the honing process was done properly. Liam had sharpened the Arcane Kunai perfectly, providing it with the strongest enhancement effect. That was something the Silverheart Dwarves witnessed firsthand. The Arcane Kunai''s tip pierced through the thick heavy armor and inflicted severe injuries upon the Dwarves before it was retracted. Theplete attack didn''t even take a full second but the Dwarf was already bleeding like an impaled pig. It was only a matter of time before Dwarves that had been attacked and injured would bleed to death. Their high resilience allowed them to keep fighting and survive much longer than Liam expected, but the Halfling was still unfazed. He was in the midst of the Silverheart Dwarves, moving through the mass of tiny, yet bulky Dwarves with terrific agility. His hands had turned into ws and the Arcane Power that was naturally circted through them thanks to the nchal Silk Gloves, along with their sharpness and endurance was enhanced considerably. This made it much easier to smash one crossbow after another while ensuring that no crossbow bolt would suddenly find its way into his back. That was something Liam would love to avoid, if possible. He saw that more than half of the Dwarves had already unsheathed their war axes and broadswords but they would have to wait a moment until he finished destroying the crossbows, which some Dwarves were still holding in their thick hands. The Silverheart Dwarves were having a hard time attacking him with their heavy weapons and slow movements because their attacks were more likely to end up in the heads of their brethren than inflicting a single scratch on Liam. That was also why some Silverheart Dwarves began to lunge at Liam with their short arms when he appeared in front of them, The Dwarves were trying to obstruct his movements and encircle him, leaving him no path of escape. However, what the Dwarves missed out on noticing was that Liam intentionally entered their group. He didn''t blindly attack them. That would have been a little stupid. Liam had a perfect and rather cheap way to get rid of the Silverheart Dwarves. They walked with their chests pushed out while donning their beautifully gleaming heavy armor sets and wielding the heavy weapons with the same pride. That was truly something they could be proud of. Liam would certainly feel happy for them as well. Unfortunately, he was not on their side of the battlefield and he was currently engaged in a life-and-death battle. Their death had been destined the moment they dared to attack Jennie. She was his golden goose and he wouldn''t allow her to die like that. Thus, he retrieved two small vials from his Storage Rune. The two vials were Small Lightning Vials that had cost him a total of 10 Arcanium. The Small Lightning Vials were the same as the ones he had used to get rid of the Mutant Elite Shedim and the Shedim Canines. Of course, Rex had helped him at that time, but that was not necessary right now. The Dwarves'' weapons and heavy armor sets were more than enough to pull the electricity currents toward them. He injected some Arcane Power into the Small Lightning Vials and threw them in the most-crowded areas while he retracted the Arcane Kunai once again. Next, he retrieved the Livral Orb in an instant and transferred some Arcane Power from the Livral Orb into the Arcane Kunai to fill it to the brim before he returned the Livral Orb back inside the Storage Rune. At the same time, he evaded four heavy cleaves that targeted him simultaneously. Without his Devil''s Eyes and the ability to predict every attack, he would have failed miserably. However, because the trajectory of every attack was unveiled to his bare eyes, Liam could easily evade them. He simply ducked and used the granted opportunity to jump on the shaft of a heavy war-axe before he pushed his feet from the shaft with all his might. Liam jumped across the Dwarf and escaped the encirclement just before the two purple bolts of lightning were unleashed from within the Small Lightning Vials that shattered. Liam witnessed a small lightning storm unleash in front of him. Screams filled with unbearable pain resounded while the smell of burned flesh reached his nostrils. The pained screams were getting louder as the purple bolts of lightning zapped through therge group of close to 50 Silverheart Dwarves. Not a single Dwarf was spared by the bolts of lightning that were wreaking havoc. When the lightning bolts dispersed after a whole minute, the ground was charred while small nts and shrubs caught fire. The Silverheart Dwarves had either copsed and were lying on the ground, or they were using their heavy weapons as a support to remain on their two feet. None of them was unscathed. Every Dwarf had new burn marks on their faces and their bodies. Purple sparks zapped every now and then along the surface of their heavy armor even now. Liam saw this and he smiled lightly. "That''s what you get for attacking me," He mumbled throwing out the Arcane Kunai once again. "Death!" His ws were unsheathed and he began to attack the injured and unmoving Dwarves that could barely twitch in response. There was no reason for him not to attack. Jennie hadn''t been armed and prepared for a battle when the crossbow bolt was about to blow her head apart. But even without the incident with Jennie, Liam would have killed them. That was just the way he handled things. It''s either killing or getting killed! Chapter 102 You Devil! ?Huge fangs, glistening in a shing white color manifested around the corpses of the Silverheart Dwarves as Liam stared coldly at them. "I cannot even sell your heavy armor¡­disgusting rats¡­" He cursed under his breath, ignoring that he had been at fault for this. The hair, skin, and parts of the Silverheart Dwarves'' flesh were stuck to the Heavy Armor Sets because they had melted. Both parts of the Heavy Armor Sets and the skin and flesh of the Dwarves had melted and they were now glued together. Liam couldn''t bother sorting out which parts of the Heavy Armors were still usable or if there were full sets of Heavy Armors that had no skin or flesh attached to them. He allowed the Livral Orb to devour it all! A huge maw filled with hundreds of white fangs emerged out of the ground, devouring dozens of Silverheart Dwarves in an instant. As for their weapons, they were left behind. [The Livral Orb devoured the corpses of 49 Silverheart Dwarves.] [Digesting the Silverheart Dwarves will take 60 minutes. The produced Arcane Power will be stored in the Livral Orb''s storage, and can then be used, or sold at will!] Liam picked up one of the many huge and heavy weapons of the Silverheart Dwarves and shook his head. "Way too heavy. It has a great bnce, is sharp, and can be used well by the right person, but this stuff is useless for me," He mumbled to himself before turning his head to the three girls who hade out of the Underground Tower. "You don''t need them either, right?" The girls shook their heads slowly following which Liam put the weapons up for sale in the Early Birds Shop afterward. The price he asked for was not too cheap but it was a fair price. After all war axes and heavy broadswords had been put up for sale, Liam turned to the only Silverheart Dwarf whom he hadn''t killed yet. The Dwarf was unconscious but it shouldn''t take long before he would wake up. "Do you know why they attacked us first?" Olivia asked. She looked at Liam as if he had the answer for everything. Liam thought of something but he mulled over his answer for a few seconds. "They may have started with the construction of a small settlement nearby. It''s rare to see Silverheart Dwarves in suchrge hunting groups. These Dwarves weren''t able to use their strength properly either even though their presence and appearance indicated that they had fought many battles in the past. I think they destroyed their Arcane Circles to be granted permission toe over to Haltan in order to im some territory, resulting in a sudden decrease in their strength," Liam summarized, mostly to himself. "If the hunting group was already consisting of 50 members, they should have hundreds of Silverheart Dwarves somewhere in the valley. Did they n to conquer the Underground Tower?" As Liam was trying to connect the clues he had picked up from the arrival of 50 heavy-armored Silverheart Dwarven soldiers, and the knowledge he had about the Silverheart Dwarven race, he saw from the corner of his eye that the unconscious Dwarf twitched. He would wake up soon. Liam bought some cheap ropes which he used to tie the Silverheart Dwarf''s arms and legs. The Dwarf woke up not long after he finished tying him up. He stared at Liam with hatred in his eyes and spit at him. Liam moved to the side, avoiding getting sttered with saliva. His eyes turned ice-cold and he kicked the Dwarf right in the face, breaking his nose with a loud crack. "You Devil!!" The Silverheart Dwarf growled with nothing but hatred on his face while blood gushed out of his nose. Liam snickered in response. "Good joke, earthworm," He retorted, transforming his hands into ws once again. His hand shot down towards the Dwarf''s face as blood spurted while Liam lifted his body once again, holding arge, slightly pointed ear in his bloodied hand. He threw the ear to the side and stared at the Dwarf, whose eyes widened. "W-Who the hell are you, you dev¨C....you monster!" The Silverheart Dwarven Warrior wanted to call Liam a Devil once again, but he chose a different word after seeing the glint in Liam''s royal purple eyes. "I don''t think that you have the authority to ask me any questions, not in the current position you''re in," Liam reminded him, "Take a good look at the current situation and tell me whether I am the one in a disadvantageous position, or if you are the one who is tied up, burned and missing an ear!" Liam''s ws reached for him again, slicing through the Dwarf''s beard. The Dwarf shrieked when he saw the handful of hairs in Liam''s hand. Most Dwarven races would never cut their hair in their entire life. It was a tribute to their Gods, denoting that they believed in the mes of Life, the Path of Kman, and the Blessing of the Afterlife. Cutting their beard was equivalent to cutting their connection to the Gods and the possibility to reincarnate as a fellow Dwarf. The moment the Silverheart Dwarf were to die, his soul would have nowhere to go. It wouldn''t be epted anywhere and he would end up in the Void of nothingness until the end of time. "Noo!!!" The Silverheart Dwarf cried out, thrashing around wildly in an attempt to free himself. However, Liam was heartless. His ws reached for the neck of the Dwarf, strangling him with tremendous power in his ws. The tip of his ws dug into the flesh of the Dwarf while his breath was taken away. "I would be a little bit more careful if I were in your position. After all, I''m the one who decides how you''re going to die!" Liam hissed into the remaining ear of the Silverheart Dwarf. The Dwarf felt like he was paralyzed. He could see that Liam''s left hand was about to reach for his helmet, and it was not difficult to conclude that Liam was about to cut off the Dwarf''s hair. If the roughly cut beard was not already humiliating enough, cutting off the hair on his head would mean that the Silverheart Dwarf had simply abandoned his Gods and that he had proimed to wage war with them. "Don''t. DON''T do it!! I will talk, you¡­" Chapter 103 Racists? ?It didn''t need much more effort for Liam to make the Silverheart Dwarf speak. Threatening him with the worst fate in the afterlife was a far more devastating oue than betraying his own people. In fact, the Gods told the Dwarves to value their own life the most, even more than the lives of their own flesh and blood. This was also why they were considered a rather selfish and barbaric race. The Silverheart Dwarf had revealed many more important pieces of information. This also included that they had established a small vige in a cavern system only a few kilometers away from the Underground Tower. The cavern vige was only a few kilometers away from the closest city as well. Apparently, they had focused on the cavern system because there had already been an abandoned mine, and there had been a few newly manifested ore deposits that had popped up with the appearance of Arcane Power and the concentration of Arcane Power in that area. It didn''t really matter that they had built their vige inside a cavern system that was connected to an abandoned mine. It was more important that they had already constructed more than ten smithies and that the vige had a poption of close to 300 Silverheart Dwarves. These 300 residents of the vige didn''t include the 100 Silverheart Dwarven Warriors that had voluntarily crushed their Arcane Circles to join the conquest of Haltan. Liam looked over to the girls who clearly weren''t that interested in the Silverheart Dwarves. They didn''t care about the cavern vige, or that the Dwarves had a total of ten smoothies and a remaining poption of 350 Silverheart Dwarves, of which 50 were war veterans. It only made sense. The girls didn''t know the Silverheart Dwarves and what awaited them. They could only think about their families and the uncertain future, hoping that their family was faring well and that they would stay alive, and somehow survive the unknown dangers the future had prepared for them. Liam sighed before he turned back to thest Silverheart Dwarf. His right w morphed in the shape of a w that cut down, piercing through the Dwarf''s throat. The Silverheart Dwarf twitched a few times but the vigor in his eyes slowly dispersed until all traces of life were wiped out. Jennie shrieked out loudly when she saw the Dwarf twitching and dying just in front of her, but Liam ignored that. It looked like Jennie was still not mentally ready for the terror that awaited her in the near future. On the other hand, Felicia and Olivia were faring much better. They barely paid any attention to Liam''s brutal murder. He retrieved the Livra Orb from the Storage Rune and ordered it to devour the corpse before he got up. "I think it''s about time. Let''s go," He said, approaching the slope from which the Silverheart Dwarf group had climbed up the mountain range. "To go where exactly?" Felicia asked as an unease settled in her stomach. She just wanted to see her family, and Liam had agreed to go look for them¡­so why was he going in that direction? "That''s the direction of the Silverheart Dwarves'' settlement. Of course, we''re going there first," Liam said as if he could read her mind. He frowned at Felicia''s reaction, ignoring that she was just an ignorant Native. Wasn''t it obvious where they would go next? "Didn''t you say that we would search for our families first? Is it necessary to exterminate the Silverheart Dwarves'' settlement right now? Can''t we look for our families first¡­please?" Felicia asked, trying to swallow her anger and frustration. Liam looked at her impassively. "The Silverheart Dwarves will notice if their people disappeared. A group of 50 Silverheart Dwarves should be more than enough to destroy any kind of opponent. Of course, meeting me was a little bit unlucky, but that doesn''t change reality. They will move to a different ce, or change their ns the moment they get wind of the fact that other races emerged in or around the valley!" Liam exined shortly before he added, "You''ve never fought Silverheart Dwarves before, let alone encountered any Dwarves. But there is a pretty fucked up reason why Dwarves live in seclusion and iste themselves from other races." Without any further exnation, Liam descended the slope. It was not that muddy anymore, which made their departure from the mountain range much easier than their arrival. Liam didn''t wait for the girls to follow him and began to search for the settlement. "Why are the Silverheart Dwarves¡­or do all Dwarves usually live in seclusion? We don''t know anything, so¡­please, borate a bit more. If we understand your reasoning you won''t make us feel like you''re a piece of work and we will feel much better as well¡­probably¡­" Felicia asked, trying to make sure that she was not misunderstood. She asked her Soultrait, Truth of Arcanium, whether it was more important to obliterate the Silverheart Dwarves'' settlement in the J Valley, or if it was more important to search for her family. The answer she had received was not what Felicia wanted to hear because it made it quite clear that Liam''s decision was right. Despite this answer, Felicia was displeased. She would rather look out for her family¡­but that was quite difficult without Liam''s strength by their side. "There are multiple reasons why most races avoided living even remotely close to any Dwarven race, no matter the masterpieces they could forge. Most Dwarven races hated other races to the core. If not for the huge gains they make from selling their forged goods, most Dwarves would never even think ofing in contact with other races. Any race that doesn''t ept their religion as the one and only true religion, and those who are different than them are considered sinners and the failed products of their Gods," Liam informed as he continued his way down. "Basically, you can say that they''re racists, even if there are a few Dwarven races who are a little different." The girls didn''t really like what Liam said but he would know the attitude and traditions of the Dwarves better than them. After all, the girls'' knowledge of Dwarves was limited to the fairy tales they had heard when they were young. Chapter 104 War Weapons! ?"Let''s just say that the Silverheart Dwarves are not the nicest, especially not to humans who are known for being greedy, deceptive and notorious for loving to explore ces they were never supposed to step in, in the first ce." Liam generalized humans, right now, but that was perfectly fine. He just wanted to point out that the rtionship between Dwarves and humans was the worst between the two races. Olivia frowned while listening to Liam''s exnation but she continued to follow him closely. It looked like Liam was in a good mood because he was willing to continue to reveal more information about the Silverheart Dwarves. "Let''s just add that Dwarves are way too skilled at cksmithing for their own good as well. Many races attacked them to put them into very because every single one is born with the talent to be a Master cksmith. Master cksmiths are always in high demand as every race needs them. Their forging talent is probably the main reason for their hatred toward all other races, or it yed a major role in the whole process. At the end of the day, it doesn''t really matter where their hatredes from. No race is innocent. I think everyone can agree to that. However, what has to be taken into consideration is that the Silverheart Dwarves of the cavern vige are very likely to create weapons with the Arcanium they can easily umte by mass producing ordinary weapons, both long-range and weapons for closebat. Billions of Natives and countless more other individuals of other races need weapons, and the Small Shops can be essed by everyone! As long as they worked hard enough, they should be able to earn tens of thousands of Arcanium. They should also be able to createrge-scale destruction war weapons with that!" He didn''t look back as he spoke. His focus was on the path in front of him. Liam observed the trails which the group of Silverheart Dwarves had left behind and trailed them back to their origin. "...and I''m not speaking about ordinary catapults." Despite the danger of the situation he had exined to the girls with quite some details, Liam was not too worried. He might have said that the Silverheart Dwarves earned enough Arcanium to create their ownrge-scale war weapons, but that was just something he said to emphasize to the rather naive girls that the situation was dire. To build a vige with ten basic smithies, purchasing several shops that had already been expanded, and various other necessities that had to be bought from the Arcane Shop to construct a proper settlement was a daunting task. And, the cavern vige was unlikely to have the capabilities to process high-ranked materials for the time being. The cksmiths would require one or two Arcane Circles to attain the necessary strength to shape the materials as well. There were many things to take into consideration. Nheless, Liam would rather get rid of the Silverheart Dwarves'' settlement as long as he was strong enough to do this by himself. He didn''t know when the next batch of those Dwarves would appear in the J Valley after all! After a few minutes of following the trail, Liam lost it. Even with his Soultrait fully activated, he couldn''t detect anything. There were only a bunch of copsed trees and arge amount of mud and gravel that seemed to have slid down from the small mountain of earth to his right. Without a clear trail to follow, they would have to search blindly for the cavern vige. Thus, Liam turned over to Felicia. "Can you search for their settlement with your Soultrait?" He asked, which caused Felicia to look over to Olivia in uncertainty. Olivia was still deep in thought. She was trying to digest every single bit of information Liam had shared with them during thest few minutes. It took her a few seconds before she noticed that Felicia, Liam, and Jennie, who was gasping for air, were all looking at her. Jennie looked like she was dying because she hardly ever ran as much as today. But there was nothing she could do because Liam would never slow down for her. "What exactly will they create if not catapults?" Olivia asked Liam. He raised an eyebrow at her question and shrugged. "Probably a bunch of rocketunchers with missiles that can destroy entire cities. I''ve faced their power before, and I have to admit, it is quite terrifying. As for other war weapons, they can create basically anything you can imagine, excluding traveling through space, to our fortune. That would be a little bit more horrifying." Everyone frowned deeply when they heard what Liam said. He was trying to sound nonchnt but he had never been a great actor when it came to feigning emotions. "So basically they can create Relics multiple times stronger than your Arcane Kunai?" Olivia added another question. "I wouldn''t put it like that¡­but yeah, probably¡­" He answered after staring at Olivia for a few seconds. Liam was not sure why Olivia felt likeparing a Kunai with a rocketuncher, but he chose not to question the mind of a woman too much. "If you keep the Silverheart Dwarves alive for too long, they''re going to destroy everything in their surrounding area until no human or other race is left. That will give them the peace and istion they want to expand their territory." Olivia nodded her head slowly. She seemed to understand why Liam wanted to obliterate the Silverheart Dwarves'' vige in the cavern system as quickly as possible. Her gaze flicked to Felicia and she gave her a reaffirming nod. A moment or twoter, Felicia pointed in a certain direction. "It''s that way. A few kilometers in that direction and we will be in front of the cavern system''s entrance¡­" Felicia might not feel much when it came to killing others anymore. But it was still a ring difference to think about killing the Shedim, who were hideous Lesser Demons that only knew how to kill, and killing Dwarves, who she had heard a lot about in fairy tales. The Lesser Demons didn''t feel like intelligent beings but ferocious monsters that wanted nothing but blood. Meanwhile, Dwarves were just ¡­different. And as if that was not enough, Felicia and Jennie were getting more and more worried about their families. They didn''t want to waste time on the Silverheart Dwarves¡­they had to reunite with their families before it was toote! Chapter 105 Prey ?In total, there were only 50 warriors of the Silverheart Dwarves left in the cavern vige. The remaining 300 Silverheart Dwarves were either workers, miners, cksmiths, carpenters, or other types of Artisans. They were supposed to construct the first settlement for their race and earn a vast fortune in every possible way. That was also why there weren''t any children either. That was something the three girls were quite relieved about. Even Olivia couldn''t help but sigh in relief as they could not spot even a single Dwarven child when they spied into the cavern system the Silverheart Dwarves used. With Felicia''s Soultrait, it was no problem to find out that two groups of ten Silverheart Dwarves each were currently hunting outside the cave. She had spent roughly 10 Arcanium to find out their rough position and numbers. This was quite helpful for Liam, who took a look at the infrastructure of the cavern vige before he and the girls left it once again. To make sure that nothing would happen, the two hunting groups had to be removed first. "I don''t mind you guys not participating in the fight, but if you avoid reality, it won''t be helpful for your future in any way," Liam said as they paved their way through the dense forest of the J Valley. They followed the closest hunting group that was close to a kilometer away from the entrance of the cavern vige. The distance was enough to make sure that no one from the vige would hear themotion they were bound to create. "Just¡­give us more time¡­" Jennie mumbled uncertainly in response to Liam''sment. She was facing the biggest mid-life crisis among the three girls and had a hard time coping with the things that were about to happen. Everything was bing too much for her¡­ If she couldn''t even fight the Lesser Demons that looked extremely evil, how was she supposed to kill Dwarves and other intelligent races? Even hunting monsters was not easy for Jennie, and she knew that they would kill her if she wouldn''t kill them first. Liam couldn''t understand Jennie, but that was not necessary in the first ce. It was good enough as long as Jennie survived and found treasures for him. There was no need for her to do more than that. "I know," Olivia simply shrugged, grasping the ck steel longsword tightly. Just like Felicia and Jennie, she had yet to upgrade her weapon. Liam was not too sure what the girls were doing with their Arcanium, but he hoped that they would use their Arcanium wisely. That way, he would have less trouble as well. "They''reing toward us!" Felicia suddenly eximed, her eyes widening. Liam used his ws to climb up a tree and he looked in the direction Felicia pointed at with his Devil''s Eyes. More than a hundred meters away from them and behind dozens of trees and bushes, a bunch of shimmering metal helmets entered his sight. They made their way through the forest while carrying something. Liam couldn''t clearly see what they were carrying but he presumed it to be the Silverheart Dwarven''s prey. He jumped to the ground, and motioned the girls to be quiet and to hide in the bushes nearby. "Their path leads them to us. This trail is the easiest to take with their bulky armor sets and the heavy weapons they carry around. Hide there, and keep your voices down if you don''t want to be discovered. If you''re willing to join the battle, attack after I initiated the first attack. Don''t attack before me!" Liam gave out a few orders before sending the girls into the bushes. Meanwhile, he chose a different tree to climb up now. The branches of the tree he chose were thicker, giving him a better grip and there were many branches withrge leaves, covering most of his body. If he stayed still in his ck clothes, he could be considered as a part of the tree, camouging himself perfectly. The Silverheart Dwarves wouldn''t have an easy time discovering him and by the time they noticed him it would be toote. A few minutes passed without anything happening. Liam, however, didn''t move an inch. His eyes were closed and his Soultrait deactivated to reduce his cirction of Arcane Power as much as possible. After all, the slightest fluctuations would give them away if even one of the Silverheart Dwarven Warriors would have been very perceptive. Fortunately, that was not the case, at all. They found their way through the forest trail ten minutester. Their moves were slow and it looked like some of them had been wounded quite seriously. But what Liam hadn''t expected to encounter was to find out that the Silverheart Dwarven Warriors had been preying on the humans¡­female Natives to be precise! Only two out of ten Silverheart Dwarves didn''t have a female Native thrown over their shoulders. The women had ragged and dirtied clothes, their hair was disheveled, their feet and arm tied together and fat drops of tears trickled down their cheeks, wetting the cloth that had been shoved into their mouth to gag them. The women were still struggling to escape. They were giving their all to escape but were firmly held by the Silverheart Dwarves that were joyously joking with each other in their deep voices. Because the Silverheart Dwarves were joking in the Dwarven tongue, Jennie, Felicia, and Olivia weren''t able to understand what they said, but they could clearly see that some of the Dwarves had begun to fondle the plump bottoms of the women they had captured. Enraged, Felicia and Olivia charged out of the bushes, causing Liam to groan in frustration, just for Jennie to follow suit as well. They pointed their weapons at the Dwarf in the front with a clear intention to kill. "Let go of these girls and we may give you a painless death!" Olivia ordered, circting Arcane Power through her longsword. "There are even more beauties? Looks like we made a great first catch!" The Silverheart Dwarf standing in front of everyone elseughed, his eyes glowing in desire as he looked at Olivia. "This one is a true beauty. I will take her!" He dered. That Dwarf was probably the leader of this small hunting group. The other Silverheart Dwarvesughed as well, not feeling any threating from Felicia and Olivia, let alone Jennie, who was trembling like a leaf caught in a thunderstorm. "I''m sorry, but these girls belong to me," Liam announced all of a sudden from above, pulling the attention to the branches above them as he jumped down into their midst, his eyes gleaming dangerously. ":..and so does your head!" Chapter 106 Tears ?Against a total of ten Silverheart Dwarven Warriors, it was not necessary to use the Lumina Needles, or any other underhand means to increase his chance of victory. The Silverheart Dwarves were all carrying someone and half of them were already injured. Each of the Dwarven Warriors was already exhausted from traveling through the J Valley''s forest and fighting to im their prey, which was the struggling female Natives that had been thrown over their shoulders. Only two Silverheart Dwarves were holding crossbows in their hands while the others were busy lusting at their newfound prey. Liam released the Arcane Kunai the moment he jumped to the ground. The Arcane Kunai spun around its own axis rapidly, drilling into the crossbows that burst into countless wood splinters. The moment hended on the ground, the Arcane Kunai traveled back to Liam, who released it once again a fraction of a secondter, iming the head of the Silverheart Dwarves'' group leader. "...and so does your head!" As Liam said this, a fountain of blood gushed out of the throat of the group''s leader. His head snapped back and it fell to the ground, cleanly severed from his neck. Liam''s ws were fully unsheathed and his surprise attack had been a sess. Thus, he could harvest two more lives by aiming at the throat of the tiny Silverheart Dwarves next to him. His ws were gleaming in the crimson blood of the Dwarves as he continued to take the lives of the Silverheart Dwarves. In their position, they were at a devastating disadvantage. It was almost impossible to react fast enough against Liam''s attack, especially because they were heavily armored Dwarves, all of whom were exhausted, injured, and carrying around their prey rather than a weapon. They were totally unprepared for a surprise attack, and that was what ended their lives even before they could react properly. Two Silverheart Dwarves threw the female Natives they had captured earlier aside to hastily reach out for their weapons. The captured girls were mercilessly flung away by them. One was thrown against a tree, another onended in a bush full of thorns, and both were unable to block their fall. They were tied and couldn''t even move properly. Nothing could be done, except ept their fate and try to ovee it. Knowing that there was nothing much they could do, the women could only cry. Their tears didn''t even cease as Jennie, Felicia, and Olivia came to help the girls that found themself lying on the ground, either in the bush that was full of thorns, next to arge tree, or lying next to the dead bodies of the Silverheart Dwarves who had groped their plump butts. Liam didn''t spend too much time killing the ten Silverheart Dwarves. In their condition, even Olivia, Felicia, and Jennie would have been able to kill half of them¡­if they wouldn''t charge out at the worst possible time. Even when they were filled with rage, it was important to maintain a calm head before charging into a battle. A single mistake could lead to death, and it was easier to make loads of mistakes upon reacting emotionally. Liam didn''t expect the three girls to lose their calm. He had expected more self-restraint and intelligence from Olivia, and a more cowardly reaction from Jennie. As for Felicia, the moment he saw the female Natives, he knew that she would blindly charge out of the bushes. Once the battle was over, he collected the heavy weapons of the Silverheart Dwarves before removing their heavy armor sets. He didn''t use any lightning for the battle or fire. Thus, the heavy armor wasparatively unscathed, could be removed easily, and sold as well. He could earn a small fortune from the heavy armor set and the heavy broadswords and war-axes. Afterward, he retrieved the Livral Orb. Then, he ordered it to devour the ten corpses which the Relic did instantly. Ten huge maws full of white shining fangs emerged from the ground, devoured the corpses, and disappeared with a notification telling him how long he had to wait before the corpses were digested. Once he was done, Liam found himself looking at the eight women that were being tended to by the three girls of his group. "Did you guys move to the forest because the city is not safe anymore?" He asked, ignoring the fear he saw in the eyes of the women. They looked with a frightened gaze at Liam before their eyes flicked over to Jennie, Felicia, and Olivia as if the three girls could help them. However, the girls just stared back at them, interested in answer to Liam''s question. "We¡­we fled¡­yes¡­" One of them answered after a few seconds of silence. She started to sob not long after and began to bber iprehensibly, or at least most of it was iprehensible, "Wefledshedaandsruvihickforweewkkkbuttheenmonsters¡­.dwarves came¡­they killed everyone¡­" Liam considered her bbering as a ''Yes'' to his question and he turned to the girls of his group. "How about we continue then? I guess you''re not nning to allow the other hunting group to kill more men in the forest, and vite fellow women, right?" Liam asked expressionlessly. There was something in his voice that caused Felicia to smile dryly and Olivia to stare at him with the corner of her right eye twitching. Liam''s way of saying things irked the girls, but they could not find fault with him. Felicia and Jennie had a bad stomach ache from the thoughts that tormented them, and the bad feeling they had about the well-being of their family, but it was more important to spend an hour or two to get rid of the SIlverheart Dwarves to make sure that no woman would be a victim to their cruelty, rather than blindly rushing to the city without knowing anything. Liam just wanted to get rid of the Silverheart Dwarves. That was something the girls could sense easily. And he would leave the women whom they had just saved from their captors alone. If they wanted to survive, they would have to fend for themselves. That, and the fact that nobody should get in his way if they wanted to stay alive was Liam''s mindset, and the girls understood that pretty well by now. However, Olivia was in no mood to allow Liam to have some peace. She turned over to the women who were still sobbing before she smiled gently at them. "Do you want toe with us and see the death of the people who were responsible for your horror?" ''What a nutcase!...'' Chapter 107 Hug ?Without caring about Liam''s opinion, Olivia simply invited the eight women to join their group. Whether the invitation was temporary or permanent didn''t really matter, because Liam was displeased one way or another. However, Olivia felt that she had to do something for them. She couldn''t just abandon the poor eight women and leave them stranded in the forest. They had just lost everything they cared about. It was not easy to cope with that. "I swear if¨C..." Liam said but he couldn''t even finish his threat as Olivia intercepted. "I already know what you are going to say, but please don''t do it. They won''t be a nuisance or deadweight for you. I will take care of them, and we will see what we are going to do with them once we reach the city," She hurriedly said, "If they''re willing to fight, and in possession of useful Soultraits, you might even be thankful to have them by your side!" Olivia tried her best to appease Liam who was ring at her. That was not further difficult because Liam didn''t really care what would happen to the eight women as long as they wouldn''t obstruct him in any way. In fact, Olivia''s words were correct. It would be pretty useful to have more people with good Soultraits by their side. A Healing-type Soultrait, or a Soultrait that increased the strength of their allies¡­or a Soultrait simr to Rex''s golden lightning bolt would be quite useful. Felicia and Jennie already had decent Soultraits to help him find treasures and other things in the future. As for Olivia, her Soultrait was probably the least impressive currently. She could wield all types of weapons with high proficiency but that was already it. Now that he thought about it, Liam looked over to the frightened women who were staring at him in horror. It was quite obvious that they didn''t think he was there to help them. But that was fine. He didn''t really intend to help the women, in the first ce. Their reaction was only fair. Jennie took Liam''s hesitation as a good sign. She gathered her courage and stepped forward, inching closer to him. "They lost everything¡­their loved ones, their peaceful life, and even the hideout where they could feel safe after the world they knew copsed¡­please¡­" Jennie pleaded, looking at Liam with puppy eyes and a slightly tilted head. Liam stared at Jennie for a few seconds, sighed deeply, and waved his hands, motioning the girls to do whatever they wanted. "Where is the other hunting group of the Silverheart Dwarves?" He asked, turning over to Felicia while ignoring the other women. Jennie, understanding what had just happened, squealed out in joy and jumped toward Liam, hugging him tightly. "Thanks. Thank you so much! You''re the best!!" Taken off-guard, Liam flinched as Jennie pressed her body against his. She hugged him tightly, which was something not even Felicia or Olivia would have expected to happen. Liam merely looked at Jennie, not saying anything. He tilted his head, while his brain malfunctioned for a second or two. Jennie looked up after she realized what she had just done. Her eyes met with the royal purple of Liam''s eyes and she swallowed her saliva instinctively, noticing that the distance between them was basically non-existent. The corners of her ears turned hot and their color changed to a bright red. She quickly let go of Liam and hurriedly retreated. "I. I. I-...Sorry!!" She stammered, burying her face in her hands. Jennie felt dizzy all of a sudden, just to hear Felicia''s voice ringing out next to her. "Looks like someone chose toy out her honey trap~" She teased Jennie, pinching her lightly at the waist. Jennie squealed once again. She tried to tell Felicia that herment was nonsense and that she should mind her words when Liam cleared his throat. "Where is the other hunting group?" Seeing the seriousness in Liam''s expression, Felicia pouted. "You''re no fun, at all¡­" She grumbled to herself while Jennie sighed in relief. Liam didn''t seem to mind that she had hugged him. But why did she feel a sting in her heart then? Wasn''t it good that Liam didn''t react to her hug? However, somehow, it was also a little disappointing. Liam didn''t react to her hugging him¡­at all! A tinge of disappointment red in her eyes, but there was not much Jennie could do about it. For Liam, they were just dispensable goods that would be thrown away if they were of no use anymore. At first, Jennie thought that she was fine with that, but the more she thought about it¡­the more she began to feel that it was unfair. Felicia turned serious while Jennie was deep in thought. Now that Felicia understood why Liam wanted to annihte the Silverheart Dwarves as quickly as possible, she was more than willing to support him. She could tell that the Dwarves didn''t think highly of humans. They would use human women as a means to relieve their stress and umte Arcanium ughtering the men, old humans, and children. There was nothing more to it. Liam''s earlier words had been nothing but the bitter truth. ''I should change my mindset toward all races¡­fairy tales are just that¡­fiction. Liam is more of a human than some humans¡­and the Dwarves act more like Devils than Liam will ever be!'' Felicia thought. With this thought imprinted into her mind, she used her Soultrait to determine the position of the other Silverheart Dwarven hunting group. Meanwhile, Olivia used her Arcanium to purchase the tired women new clothes and a few potions. They were equipped with the crossbows of the Silverheart Dwarves after asking Liam if they could use them. "As long as they don''t aim at me, I am fine," Liam merely said before adding a warning, "I will kill you and these eight women the moment even a single crossbow bolt is fired at me. You are responsible for them, so you will be punished as well." It was obvious that Liam was serious. The frightened women swallowed their saliva while staring at him in fear, while Olivia nodded her head. "I knew that you would say that. Everything will be fine!" Chapter 108 Shut It, Bitch! ?Now that he thought about it, Liam could tell that something bad would happen. He felt like Olivia had simply jinxed it by saying that everything would be fine. Nothing was fine, and he felt like dragging Olivia over to the crossbow bolt that would have pierced his head if not for him reacting fast enough and using a Silverheart Dwarf as his meat shield. It hadn''t taken too long before they found the other hunting group of the Silverheart Dwarves. In fact, they had spent only a little more than half an hour traveling through the forest of the J Valley and preparing an attack when they encountered the Silverheart Dwarves. There were only ten of them but they were still hunting their prey. Their prey was also humans, just like the targets of the other hunting group. Liam and the women found the Silverheart Dwarves as they charged into a small camp where three men and six women had been living for a few days. The three men were fighting valiantly, but they were easily overwhelmed. Not long after, Liam saw an arm flinging through the air, a corpsending on the ground, and a man copsing down, bleeding like a pig. As expected, the women were not killed. The weapons they wielded were snatched from their hands forcibly and the women were punched and kicked to subdue them. The Silverheart Dwarves wanted to establish their superiority and im the women for themselves. Liam had charged at the Silverheart Dwarves when he perceived the opportunity. Unfortunately, one of the frightened women thought that it was a good idea to attack at the same time. She didn''t even aim at him but at the head of one of the Silverheart Dwarves. Her attack missed the Dwarf by far, while precisely following the path to Liam''s head. Fortunately, Liam had his Devil''s Eyes activated and saw the bolt flying in his direction. He could tell that the woman had looked at the Silverheart Dwarf but somehow had aimed the crossbow perfectly at him. In an instant, he had shot to the side and pulled the Silverheart Dwarf to make the frightened woman''s attack meet and kill her intended target and not him. Afterward, he spent a few seconds killing the remaining Silverheart Dwarves. Felicia and Olivia joined the battle this time as well. Meanwhile, Jennie picked out the targets she and the frightened women were supposed to shoot at. That way, they could end the battle quickly, while making sure that the frightened women would also contribute, even if it was just a little. The only problem was that one of the frightened women hadn''t paid attention to the n they hade up with. She was shivering and mumbling that she didn''t intend to attack Liam but that she had aimed somewhere entirely different. Olivia looked warily over to Liam. She clearly recalled her words in response to Liam''s threat and subconsciously touched her neck, not knowing what to say. Liam seemed to ignore the gazes that were drawn onto him. Instead of paying attention to the women around him, he approached the man whose gut had been cut open. The three men of the camp that had been targeted by the Silverheart Dwarves were lying next to each other. One of them had been split in half through the cleave of a war-axe, another one had lost his right arm while trying to block the heavy broadsword that had cut through his weapon and arm as if they were made of tofu, and the third man was currently lying in a puddle of his own blood, clearly on the verge of death. "Do you want to die with a weapon in your hand?" Liam asked as he approached him, clearly seeing the fear in the eyes of the young man. Tears were streaming down the cheeks of the young man. He knew that he was about to die and that he didn''t have much time left. However, he didn''t want to leave this world. No matter how messed up the Arcane Apocalypse was and how dangerous it was, death was never the solution or an escape from reality. The young man was not willing to die¡­but there was nothing he could do. He had to ept his fate. That way, he might even be able to feel a little bit of peace. However, before the young and dying man could even say anything, the scream of a woman rang through the camp, "You monster. HELP HIM!" Liam raised his right eyebrow, lifting his head to look over to the woman who had screamed at him. He pressed his lips together and his ws moved slowly. ''Should I just kill her?'' It was already enough that an idiotic woman from earlier had nearly decorated her crossbow bolt with his head. He had ignored her but he didn''t really feel like dealing with another stupid woman. "Shut it, bitch!" He thundered while unleashing his Arcane Power all of a sudden. His presence intensified all of a sudden, and killing intent reached the young woman who had shouted at Liam earlier. The woman turned silent all of a sudden, while Liam''s gaze flicked back to the young man, who had stopped moving. His eyes were still open but there was no life inside them anymore. The young man''s mouth was also open as if he wanted to say something but couldn''t. "Look, now he is dead. You couldn''t even give him the chance to say his final words. Good job, attention whore," Liam mumbled, turning away from the lifeless body. He ignored the woman who had begun to cry and started to collect the heavy armor sets and heavy weapons of the Silverheart Dwarves. Everything was put up for sale in the Early Birds Shop. The Dwarven corpses were devoured with the use of the Livral orb. This action garnered frightened gazes and it further tarnished his image in the eyes of the other women. But that was something he could hardly be bothered about. He was not a nanny. He walked over to the man who had just lost his arm. That man was screaming at the top of his lungs, even when Liam appeared in front of him. Liam''s eyes gleamed coldly as his right hand shot out, strangling the man by his neck. "Do you have a death wish, bastard?" Chapter 109 Get Up! ?"Do you have a death wish, bastard?" Liam''s cold voice rang in the ears of the man who had just lost his good arm. He stared at Liam with widened eyes as he was desperately trying to breathe. However, Liam strangled the man with too much force, causing him to stagger back and lose his bnce. His artery was being choked, cutting off the blood supply, after all. Liam continued to stare coldly at the one-armed man before he mercilessly flung him to the side. "If you scream out like a little baby just once more, I will break your neck to make you shut your mouth!" The one-armed man stared dazedly at Liam, rubbing his neck with his left hand. He rubbed lightly across the purple bruise and felt a throbbing pain as he gulped nervously. "Was that really necessary?" Olivia asked as she noticed that the tension within the group began to escte. Felicia and Jennie didn''t really mind his attitude because they could tell that there was a deeper meaning behind his words. However, the other women stared at him in terror. They had just lost their loved ones, and it looked like Liam wouldn''t hesitate to kill them either. Was it really safe to travel with someone like him? "Should we really join them¡­can we even trust him?" One of the women mumbled quietly to the others who warily eyed Liam. "Maybe he bewitched the three girls. Do you think we can overwhelm him and rescue them?" Another one asked. "We have ten crossbows. If we fire them at once, he will definitely die. He won''t be able to evade all of them!" "But he is not human. Just look at him. Do you really think he will die just like that?" While the eight women whom he had rescued from the first hunting group of the Silverheart Dwarves were gossiping with each other, the six women from the camp were bawling their eyes out. Two were trying to tend to the wounds of the one-armed man. He was still bleeding severely. It was doubtful whether he would survive the night or not. If the man died, there would only be women around Liam, and the traumatized and frightened women could only imagine the worst happening to them while staying around Liam. They subconsciously shuddered at the thought of Liam tearing their clothes apart and taking them by force. Olivia and the others could hear their mumbling. It was loud enough for Liam to hear their worries as well. However, Liam just smiled in response. "Be thankful to me for not taking his life. His loud screams probably attracted the attention of the monsters in the surroundings. I don''t really feel like protecting 14 oblivious and frightened women, and a one-armed man while trying to obliterate the cavern vige of the Silverheart Dwarves." Without further ado, Liam turned to Felicia, who pointed back in the direction of the cavern vige. "They have yet to find out about the death of their hunting groups." Liam nodded his head and walked in the direction Felicia pointed. He walked past the frightened woman who had nearly decorated his head with a crossbow bolt and patted her head once, a little rough at that, disheveling her hair. "I saw where you aimed at. Don''t shoot anywhere near your allies next time," Liam said, "Your aim sucks." The frightened woman was dreading that Liam would pierce his ws through her throat so she was shocked when she felt the rough hand patting her head. Shivers ran down her spine and her legs nearly gave in due to the pressure she felt all of a sudden, and she forgot to breathe for a few seconds. Liam had already disappeared in the trees, while Felicia and Jennie were about to charge behind him when they noticed that Olivia had not moved forward. "Are you noting?" Felicia asked her friend. Olivia looked at the crying women who were holding onto the dead bodies of the two men. The one-armed man was trying to get up from the ground but he was too weak. Losing his arm drained all his energy, and a considerable amount of his will to continue living as well. All of a sudden, a vial flew across the destroyed camp, hitting the young man at the side of his head. The vialnded on the ground, glimmering with zing red content. Everyone''s eyes turned back to the forest where Liam had disappeared. "You will have to learn how to fight with only one arm if you don''t have a long-range attack-type Soultrait. If your Soultrait is shit forbat, you have to figure out what to do to make up for it. Learn, adapt, and ovee your shorings, if you don''t want to die. There should be people out there who like you and who don''t want you to give up like that. If you have just one person you want to see, or even protect from the horrors that will inevitably appear in front of everyone, you will have to get your act together and fight for your survival even if your body and soul wish to give up!" It was Liam, who said this and his voice echoed through their minds, making them feel numb. He was also the one who threw the vial at him, though he was not certain why exactly he felt the need to do so. There was nothing umon with losing an arm or a leg. Liam had actually lost one of his arms twice. Regrowing it was a pain in the ass because it was expensive and a new arm was nothing like the old and familiar arm. However, it was possible to regrow his arm. Liam already figured out how expensive it would be as well. Regrowing limbs cost 50,000 Arcanium if the person in question hadn''t created their second Arcane Circle yet. Regrowing an armpatible with the refinement of two Arcane Circles was a little bit moreplicated and a lot more expensive. But that was not something they had to be bothered about. "Either fight and give it your all so that you can die without regrets, or give up right here and right now. Don''t be a delusional fool!" Liam said loud and clear, while nearly adding a few words that caused him to feel like punching himself. ''Don''t be like me.'' Chapter 110 Feeling Inferior ?Liam had a bad headache. Not because he had to obliterate the Silverheart Dwarves, and neither because he told Felicia and Jennie that they could look for their family. Rather, it was because of the dimwits of frightened and entitled women who believed that the world revolved around them. Truth be told, they were not even that pretty! Olivia, Felicia, and Jennie were ten times prettier than any of the 14 women that ended up following him. As for their strength, Liam was not even sure if one could consider them abat force, to begin with. They were more of a deadweight than turning into a helping hand. But it was not as if he had expected a lot from them. Their group had arrived in front of the cavern entrance that led to the cave vige of the Silverheard Dwarves. Liam looked at the group and signaled them to stay behind. However, it was no sooner than the loud howling and thunderous roars of monsters rang out from the deeper parts of the J Valley''s forest. The women and the one-armed man flinched in response. All their memories and experiences with most monsters were filled with pain and loss. It was already a miracle that they had survived until now, Liam could tell that for sure. The one-armed man who was holding a thin longsword that didn''t weigh much stepped closer to Liam. "I wille with you¡­" He said, mixed emotions shing through his eyes. The one-armed man, Derek Hael, had stopped bleeding and regained hisposure. Now, he was determined to change his life because that was a necessity to survive in the new world that seemed to have devoured their old and peaceful world. However, Derek was also dependent on Liam and afraid of the dangers they would inevitably face. "As long as you don''t stab me with that little twig, I don''t care," Liam said while snapping one of his fingers against the light longsword to push it aside. It had been pointed in his direction, which was something he didn''t really like. In fact, nobody would want to have a weapon pointed at them, even less if it was a rookie, who had never ever held a longsword before or had just recently learned to wield it. The frightened woman hurried close to Liam and the other girls followed suit as well. They might not like Liam or feel safe next to him. However, they could tell that Olivia, Felicia, and Jennie were much betterpany than ferocious monsters. Liam looked at the members of his group, shook his head, and walked inside. "Just be quiet and watch," He grumbled, activating his Devil''s Eyes before he shot inside the cave. Olivia and the others followed him quickly, tightly holding onto their weapons. As he rushed into the cave, Liam forgot about the otherspletely. Their insignificant existence turned into a distant memory as he passed through the darkness. The cave was not illuminated, or that was what it was supposed to feel like. The Silverheart Dwarves had prepared a few traps to catch invaders and injure them even if most of their Warriors were outside, fighting humans and conquering the Underground Tower. The Warriors ensured to acquire information on the surrounding topography, the number of opponents they had to face, raid the unique structures of the Arcane Apocalypse to hoard treasures, and so on. Of course, they had toe back with their ''prey'' as well. Liam didn''t trigger or destroy the traps. He passed through them, narrowly avoiding each of them while releasing the ck Tarthear Needles infused with his Arcane Power. The three girls who had been by his side for almost two weeks by now could already sense the surrounding area''s Arcane Power. Their range of perception was not very big, but it was enough to perceive the ck Tarthear Needles. They also knew the frequency of his Arcane Power, allowing them to distinguish between his needles and a trap created by the Silverheart Dwarves easily. Furthermore, Olivia and the others knew that he would warn them about the traps. Felicia and Jennie were his valuable assets. He wouldn''t allow anyone to take them away, or injure them! Olivia was not sure why she felt like that, but the thought of her uselessness and the fact that Liam cared only about Felicia and Jennie made her angry. She was also giving her best to be stronger and to be of use. Was he unable to tell that, or did he simply not care? Thinking about it, Olivia had to acknowledge that she had yet to prove herself as a valuable asset to Liam. Jennie had found various treasures in the underground tower, and the Lesser Rift, which earned Liam a big fortune, and Felicia was a great guide. Both would be very useful resources for him in the future, even if they would never touch a weapon again. Their Soultraits alone turned them worthy of apanying Liam in all his endeavors. As for Olivia, the girl who had been raised as the heiress of one of the biggestpanies in the west trained to be perfect in business, to never make mistakes, to be generous yet heartless when it was demanded¡­she was useless. It irked her and made her feel inferior. For the first time in her life, she actually felt herself to be inferior whenpared to the people around her. She could ept that Liam was stronger than her, that he had more knowledge about the Arcane System, the Arcane Apocalypse, and all those races of the Nine Realm. That was understandable. It made sense. It would be weird if she was stronger than someone who had been raised in war, and lived under constant threat in the Nine Realms. Liam deserved her respect, and Olivia could also understand why Liam acted in a certain way or sometimes made harsh decisions. Most of the time, it made sense if one took his background into consideration. However, if shepared herself to Felicia and Jennie, she should have been better, more useful, calmer, and able to make the right decisions. But neither her upbringing nor the business lessons had prepared her for the Arcane Apocalypse. Nobody was prepared for it. She was just too unlucky with the Soultrait she had awoken. [Weaponry] It gave her a higher affinity toward all types of weapons, and memories of how they could be wielded. Other than that¡­there was nothing. Could she really be of use to Liam and be strong enough to regain her confidence that had been crushed brutally? ** If you want to support me use your golden tickets and powerstones. You can also visit my pa treon: Pa treon/HideousGrain More character images and nice chats about the HideVerse: https://discord.gg/EdsDgFVWwZ Link also in my description. Do you like it? Leave a review and add it to the library! Chapter 111 Massacre ?"Liam shouldn''t be done yet, right?" Felicia asked Olivia and the others as they looked at a woman dismantling a trap in front of them. There had been close to a dozen traps in the cavern tunnel, and it was both a relief and their good fortune that one of the frightened women had a Soultrait rted to dismantling. She could dismantle traps without triggering them, and even install them once again. ording to the woman, her Soultrait provided her with information about every trap she dismantled. That meant, she could recreate them as long as she was given the necessary resources. Felicia, Jennie, and Olivia were pretty sure that this young woman would be a valuable asset in Liam''s team if she chose to join them permanently. Olivia was not too sure how to feel about this, and oddly enough, she couldn''t think about anything else but the few aspects in which she was superior to Hellen Wagner, the young woman, who had dismantled all traps until now. ''Even though she looks cute, and can be considered strong, I''m still better¡­and I''m stronger!'' She told herself, patting her chest with a sigh of relief. Olivia nodded her head with a trace of resurfacing confidence. "It hasn''t even been ten minutes, and there are more than 250 Silverheart Dwarves to fight and kill. He shouldn''t be done yet," Olivia responded to Felicia, who nodded her head. Felicia had noted that her friend had be a little absent-minded ever since they had left the underground tower. She was not too sure what was going on in Olivia''s mind but it all started when they began to convince Liam to search for their families. ''She must be worried about her family as well. Is she too prideful to ask for Liam''s help? That could be it¡­or is it something else?'' Felicia always had a hard time understanding what was going on in Olivia''s head, and more often than not, she would give up the attempt to understand anything. The theories that formed in her head about it in the past had never been worth the headache she got from all the thinking. "We''re talking about Liam¡­so I actually don''t know what to expect if he is allowed to go all-in for ten whole minutes¡­" Jennie mumbled to Felicia even though she hadn''t been asked the question. Felicia smiled at Jennie and pulled Jennie''s cheeks lightly. Jennie was not confident in herself, at all. However, that was exactly what made her such a cute little friend. "Whasch areee you¡­" Jennie spoke sheepishly as Felicia continued to pull her cheeks lightly. "You''re just too cute~" Felicia eximed with lightughter before she smiled brightly at Jennie. Seeing how the bubbly and bright attitude of Felicia had returned, Olivia began to smile a little as well. Even though they had encountered the Silverheart Dwarves, and everything was extremely serious and dangerous, Felicia felt like she could let loose a little. The past two weeks had been extremely stressful and it was only now that she could return to joking around a little. It felt like things would get better soon. At this moment, Hellen Wagner finished dismantling thest trap. Stale air, mixed with the heavy smell of blood reached them not long after. A breeze of the stale and iron-scented air wafted around them, causing everyone to freeze up once again. Felicia was still smiling, but the glint in her eyes had changed and been reced by a cold gaze. She charged forward, unsheathing her ck Steel Saber, and prepared to jump into battle. However, the first thing she saw upon seeing the brightly illuminated cavern vige was blood, lots of blood. Corpses littered the ground, body parts hung down from the earthen doorframe of a few small huts, blood pooling on the floor and desperate screams rang out through the entire cavern system. And in the middle of the mess, there was Liam. Both of his arms had taken a dark shade of dark crimson, making it look as if they had been dyedpletely, his royal purple eyes scanned the surroundings quickly, taking in every bit of information from the surrounding area while gleaming dangerously. A slow smile appeared on his lips and he pounced at the back of a Silverheart Dwarf, who had been running away from him. His frantic cries echoed through the ears of the women and the one-armed man as they stared at the Dwarf whose neck was twisted before it broke with a snap. Tearing the head with full force, Liam ripped off its skin and flesh, beheading the Dwarf at once. Liam turned to his right without a second of hesitation and he threw the head of the Dwarf with full force. The head smashed against the cavern wall where it burst apart like a watermelon. This caused an outcry in the rows of frightened women, while Derek could only stare at Liam in utter fear. However, there was also a trace of admiration in his eyes. After all, Liam''s throw had been precise, and highly effective. The thrown Dwarven head had cut through the running path of three Silverheart Dwarves, who had attempted to flee quietly. To their misfortune, Liam saw them¡­he saw everything! He released the Arcane Kunai and cut the Silverheart Dwarves'' throat without a second of hesitation. There weren''t any Warriors left behind, but who was he to care about that? The Silverheart Dwarves'' Warriors had been exterminated by him, however, that was not enough. It was far from enough! All of them had to die, no matter how ugly they deemed his actions to be. If they didn''t like it, they could try to stop him, but¡­what would happen after that was better left unsaid¡­ Liam had yet to kill the remaining Silverheart Dwarves, and they didn''t make things easier for him either. They ran in all directions while trying to spread out to minimize the casualties. At least some of them should survive to fulfill their missions. For the sake of their race, they could give up this basement¡­but not the mission that had to bepleted by any means! Unfortunately, they had encountered Liam, someone who was able to throw a bunch of Needles that were strong enough to paralyze the Silverheart Dwarves, an Arcane Kunai that flew through the air at Liam''s will, and eyes that saw everything. Of course, Liam''s razor-sharp ws could cut through them faster than any de. To say they were doomed was an understatement. Chapter 112 Handsome ?"This¡­" Derek mumbled quietly, his voice filled with terror and his body covered in goosebumps, "...Is it really safe to stay by his side? He looks like a bloodthirsty Demon¡­" Derek was shocked to the core at the sight that unfolded in front of him, and he was not the only one. In fact, everyone except the three girls, who had been with Liam for quite a while by now, was baffled, frightened, and utterly shocked. During thest few minutes, everyone witnessed how powerful and cruel Liam was. The neers of Liam''s group began to realize what could have happened to them if they had acted just a tad more entitled, arrogant or insane. If they had annoyed Liam just a bit more, he would have actually killed them. ? While watching the massacre, the young woman who had unintentionally shot a crossbow bolt at Liam couldn''t hold herself anymore. Her legs caved in and she stared nkly at Liam''s bloodied figure while her hands subconsciously reached out to her neck to make sure that her head was still attached to it. "I¡­am still alive¡­right?" She mumbled as tears sttered down on her dress. The other women shuddered as well, and they were exceedingly happy not to have said too much against Liam. It was good to be alive, that was for sure. They looked pitifully at the woman who had shot Liam, but none of them dared to move and to get too close to her at this moment. Liam might take this the wrong way, and they didn''t want to find out what he was going to do to them. Only Olivia and the others approached the crying woman. They wiped her tears and tried to calm her a little. However, the damage was already done. Watching Liam mercilessly tearing apart the SIlverheart Dwarves had been imprinted in their heads, and some of them imagined themselves getting torn instead of the Dwarves. They swallowed their saliva hard. "Derek, just for your information. If Liam hears you calling him a Demon, you will lose your other arm as well," Olivia said, looking up from her squatted position. She was still trying to calm the weeping girl. Derek stared at Olivia, hoping that she was joking. Unfortunately, her expression was way too serious to have her joking around. "Liam is way too handsome to be a Demon, in the first ce. You should have seen how ugly the Shedim were. These Lesser Demons were truly hideous¡­grotesque and disgusting existences¡­" Jennie added, which caused Felicia to pinch her once again. "Our Liam is handsome, isn''t he~?" Felicia joked. Jennie let out a tiny squeal after getting pinched in the waist once again, and she red at Felicia, who returned her gaze innocently. "Mdy, how may I be of your service?" Felicia asked innocently. Jennie squinted her eyes while her gaze rested on Felicia, who could not help herself from grinning wide. "You think that he is handsome as well, so don''t act like you don''t!" Jennie retorted finally. She had had enough of Felicia''s teasing and decided to reach for her cheeks, aiming for the little bit of baby fat on Felicia''s face. Felicia was too slow to react and she was forced to endure the same torturous treatment she had given Jennie not too long ago. The others couldn''t understand how Felicia and Jennie could be unbothered about the massacre they had just witnessed. It was not as if the bloody feast that had been unveiled in front of them was normal by any means. The bad situation and image Liam had created of himself until now turned even worse when he removed all valuables from the Silverheart Dwarves before he used the Livral Orb to have them devoured at once. Liam didn''t pay much attention to the members of his group because there was a lot for him to do. He noticed that they had arrived by now, but Olivia could take care of them. She was good at leading the Natives of Haltan. After removing the valuables of the Dwarven cksmiths, carpenters, miners, and various other types of craftsman, their bodies were devoured, including the heads that had been removed, the arms and legs that had been ripped out of their bodies and so on. Liam didn''t really like leaving behind anything of value. He was in dire need of the Arcanium, and the Silverheart Dwarves were dead, either way. If he could make a fortune from their hard work, why shouldn''t he take it all? He had already killed them, it could hardly get any worse! [The Livral Orb devoured 287 Adult Silverheart Dwarves.] [Digesting the 287 Adult Silverheart Dwarves will require 10 hours. The produced Arcane Power will be stored in the Livral Orb''s storage, and can then be used, or sold at will!] He smiled lightly at the notifications he received and he started plundering the cavern vige. First, he collected all belongings that had been worn by the Silverheart Dwarves. After that, he ransacked the vige huts, the smithies, and other buildings. There were a total of ten full sets of smithies of average quality. Liam collected them and put everything up for sale in the Early Birds Shop right away. His shop''s exhibition slots were too few, which made it a little difficult to sell everything at once. Fortunately, Liam didn''t have to rush things. He stored most goods in the Storage Rune but quickly noticed that the storage space of the Rune was not big enough. He retrieved the Livral Orb and essed the Arcane Power that was hoarded inside. "Sell Arcane Power worth 5,000 Arcanium!" [Sufficient Arcane Power has been detected. Please confirm the transaction!] "Just do it!" [Transaction has beenpleted, and 5000 Arcanium have been added to the bnce of the host!] "Upgrade the Storage Rune with 5,000 Arcanium!" [The storage space of the host''s Storage Rune can be expanded. Is the host willing to spend 5000 Arcanium to expand his Storage Rune? Please confirm the transaction, if the host is willing to expand his Storage Rune''s space!] "Confirm!" [The Storage Rune''s space has been expanded. 5000 Arcanium have been deducted!] "Thanks a lot!" The expansion of the Storage Rune''s space waspleted easily. He felt a slight tingling sensation on the back of his hand, but that was already it. There was more than enough space to store most goods. Thus, Liam could avert his focus to something else, something much more important. He turned over to the neers of his group. "Now¡­what am I going to do with you guys?" Chapter 113 Girls Fight? ?"It was necessary to kill them. You saw what they did to these women, and the men," Olivia said to Jennie who pressed her lips together. She gave her best to distract herself by fooling around with Felicia, but her eyes kept flicking back to the blood that covered the ground of the cavern vige. The pictures of the desperate Silverheart Dwarves running for their lives were apparent in her mind. Felicia smiled at Jennie, and she lightly caressed her back in an attempt to console her. Both Felicia and Olivia were a few years younger than Jennie, but Olivia was raised to be strong and independent, and Felicia would help her father every now and then. He was a butcher with a quite popr shop that was known for their high-quality meat. Being a perfectionist, he didn''t like the attitude of most part-timers he had hired over the course of years. Thus, Felicia ended up working part-time for her father to earn some pocket money. She quickly learned things and was good enough to help him out and satisfy his perfectionism. She had be used to the sight of blood more than enough as she had butchered most pigs, cows, and other animals herself. As for Jennie, she had never killed a living being before, not intentionally at least. She even felt bad for identally stepping on ants, other insects, and snails. Jennie would even start crying because she was so sorry for taking their lives. Because of the way she was, the Arcane Apocalypse was, quite literally, the worst that could have happened to her. "What Olviia says is true. Even my Soultrait is certain that the Silverheart Dwarves would have endangered all lives in the J Valley. You might not like this, and I actually don''t like it either, but we will have to kill in the future in order to survive¡­and that doesn''t only include Lesser Demons, who are just as evil as they look. Liam is right¡­we need to change¡­" Felicia said, trying to calm Jennie while making her understand the situation. Felicia was already pretty sure that Jennie understood the current situation, but her issue was that she actually didn''t ''want'' to understand it. The old world had died, it had been devoured by the Arcane Apocalypse, and reced by a new world that was far from peaceful. The strong still ruled the weak, which would never change. However, what changed was that death and murder had turned into something one would encounter every single day. Jennie didn''t want to ept this. It couldn''t be true¡­ Even the one-armed Derek and the other women were better at epting reality. Jennie had it quite easy for thest two weeks. Staying by Liam''s side and only faced with a single attempted rape could already be considered having survived without facing a big problem. The 14 frightened women had it much worse. They were molested several times, had a hard time fending for themselves, and they saw their friends and family being killed in front of them. Comparing their lives to Jennie''s, she had a pleasant time without many problems, while the other women had to fight for their survival with all their might. Some were still afraid of Liam and scared by the things that had happened during thest few hours, but there were some who couldn''t help but sneer quietly when they realized that Jennie was just a brat that had been spoiled by Liam. Olivia, Felicia, and Jennie noticed this, and it was only a matter of time until the tension in the cavern vige increased considerably. Liam didn''t really care about their problems. He chose to give them enough space to fight amongst themselves, while he sold the goods of the Silverheart Dwarves, whether it was finished swords, armor tes, or other weapons and pieces of armor. He didn''t know too much about traps either. Selling them was better than wasting precious resources by letting them rot in the Storage Rune. Rather than collecting stuff he would never use, earning Arcanium from selling them would turn into a much better investment. ''I should keep the high-quality forging hammer, the Lacranium anvil¡­the lustrouna ores¡­the half-purified Silverwood¡­'' Liam thought while organizing all the goods he found in the cavern vige. There were way too many things that might be useful in the future. He was not too sure if he would start forging in the future, or if he would find someone who could forge some things for him. That was also why he retrieved 200 kilograms of the Saphirate Crystals from the Early Birds Shop and set them aside for future needs. He stored the Saphirate Crystals inside the Storage Rune as well, even if it was just for the possibility of encountering some sort of cksmith with highly potent forging-attributed Soultrait. Setting aside some materials for the possibility could be wasteful right now, but the gains he could make upon encountering the right person were certainly worth the ''gamble''. One way or another, the gains he made from hunting the 300+ Silverheart Dwarves were certainly worth it. Each Dwarf rewarded him with some equipment that could be sold for more than three Arcanium each. Furthermore, there was the Arcane System''s notification that rewarded him with more than one Arcanium for every Silverheart Dwarf he killed, and the Livral Orb that devoured the corpses and turned them into Arcane Power, which could also be sold. And then there were the smithies, the forged goods, and so on. Overall, Liam was pretty sure that his gains were around or possibly even above 3000 Arcanium! Most goods had yet to be sold but it was only a matter of time before they would disappear from the slots. Once everything had been sorted out, Liam returned to the group of women, who seemed to be fighting with each other. Derek had quietly observed the entire situation unfold itself, and he couldn''t help but feel like running over to Liam. Liam might be a bloody Murderer, but he was definitely not as scary as 17 enraged women! "Liam, help me please!" Derek said while rushing over. Liam raised an eyebrow when he saw the tinge of desperation in the one-armed man''s eyes. He expected something bad to have happened, but the problem was different than expected. "They''re about to tear each other apart. Please stop these girls!" Chapter 114 Thats Interesting! ?Liam was not exactly interested in the girls'' fight. There might be a valid reason for their fight, but he didn''t think that it was too important. It was probably something that was trivial, otherwise, they wouldn''t be just shouting at each other. Crossbow bolts would be flying through the air and the bloodthirsting weapons would be quenched by the blood of their opponents if the situation truly warranted his attention. Thus, he stepped forward, ignoring their shouts. "You cowardly woman! You''re just hiding behind your prince, sucking up to him! You lost your dignity and honor as a woman!" ''Damn. Maybe this is a little bit more interesting than expected¡­'' Liam halted in his tracks and watched the woman who had just shouted at Jennie. Jennie was trembling in rage, biting on her lower lip while being, unable to say anything. She was just having a mid-life crisis and the women they had rescued started to insult her all of a sudden. "I think you''re mistaking something. You''re just jealous that we encountered Liam first and that we were allowed to travel with him. Jennie survived because she fought with all her might. She is using her power and NOT her body to be of use to Liam. If you don''t like it here, fuck off! Olivia was nice enough to take responsibility of you all even though Liam would have left you behind in the forest. Is that how you repay your gratitude? If that''s the case, you''re nothing but a worthless bitch that should have never been saved in the first ce!" Felicia thundered loudly. There was no trace of her bubbly attitude in her voice or demeanor. Her eyes were burning fiercely and she was ready to beat the shit out of those who were daring enough to say anything against Jennie. Olivia had risked her life and begged him to be let in their small group, and she had nearly died just because one of the frightened women shot a crossbow bolt at him. Even if it was an ident, Liam had warned them clearly enough. If not for Liam''s kindness and good mood at that time, Olivia would have been killed alongside the frightened woman! Felicia felt no mercy for them, no matter what they thought about her, or Jennie! "Are you just ignorant or tantly stupid? This girl is the most spoiled woman I''ve encountered since the world changed. Most of us faced the worst treatment for the past two weeks. Our families were killed in front of us, and our friends, sisters¡­even our mothers were vited right in front of us¡­even some of us couldn''t escape this fate¡­Yet, you want us to stay quiet, or maybe even feel pity for this woman, who cries for the death of the Dwarves, who would have vited us over and over again, who killed ourst friends¡­who would have done the worst possible to not just us but many more women?!" Another woman shouted out loud, while angry tears spilled out of her eyes. She was not able to hold back anymore. Too many things had happened in thest two weeks and the memories resurfaced, forcing her to recall every single thing that had happened to her and the people around her. "Are you fucking kidding me?!" The tension between the two groups of women kept increasing. Sparks seemed to erupt between them and it made Liam wonder to what degree the situation would further escte. He was slightly interested in Olivia''s response and the actions of the women in return. ''Jennie is weak, powerless, and unable to fend for herself, but she is still valuable as a golden goose. Looks like they have yet to understand thatbat power is not everything.'' Liam thought. Many races would hire Jennie for an exorbitant price if she were to publicize her Soultrait. She could be a professional raider, who doesn''t have to fight. Having her by your side would mean that any dungeon conquest and tower raid, and exploration of ruins of ancient civilizations would earn you a vast fortune. That was given, and something many people would happily empty their pockets for. Jennie might not like death and murder but she didn''t have to. As long as she didn''t obstruct anyone''s way, it was more than enough to be a Treasure Hunter with the ability to find ANY treasure in the special constructions and structures of the Arcane Apocalypse. Liam figured that many Natives had yet to understand how valuable some Soultraits were, even if they were not good forbat purposes. This made it even more intriguing to listen to Olivia''s response. She was furious and regretted having taken responsibility for these women. "No, we don''t expect anything from you¡­except to shut your mouth and act ordingly. We can abandon you right here and right now. Don''t you think you should value your own survival more than the anger you feel toward someone else? If that''s not the case, keep saying what''s on your mind, and leave this group. You can try to fend for yourself and see where you will end up. Though, I am pretty sure that you will die before the sun goes down!" Her voice was cold, but her expression was even colder. Every single word she just said was the harsh, bitter truth. There was no need for anyone to understand their emotions, let alone to ept them. However, if they wanted to survive, they better keep their mouths shut, otherwise, they would either be killed or abandoned. Both ways would end up with their inevitable death. After all, they were several kilometers away from the closest city, and it was not as if the cities were secure ces either. There were a few women who had something to say, but a loud sp that had been empowered and amplified with some Arcane Power pulled everyone''s attention over to Liam. Derek was standing behind Liam, mumbling something in an attempt to solve the situation peacefully. However, Liam''s eyes were ice-cold as the gxies sealed within the royal purple eyes awoke. "I think that''s enough!" Chapter 115 Even Dogs Know When To Shut Up ?"I think that''s enough!" Liam said in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear. Felicia and Olivia turned silent, but they seemed a little displeased. Liam raised an eyebrow and flicked his index fingers against their foreheads. The two girls squealed out in surprise. They stared at Liam in astonishment while rubbing their forehead in pain. Liam ignored their gazes and he turned over to Jennie. "There will always be people who will be jealous of you, envy your powers, your situation, maybe even the people you get to know. Even if you''re feeling miserable, some people will find reasons to envy you. That''s just how it is," Liam said matter-of-factly. He had experienced something like this more often than he wanted to acknowledge. Most of the time, it didn''t end well for him either. "You have a few decisions to make. Work hard enough to make sure that the jealousy and burning envy of others is justified, or crumble and let them crush you even before you can blossom. Or, you ignore their outbursts, though I don''t really feel that this is the best solution because it''s just running away from your problem. Figure out what you want to do, do your thing, and don''t allow others to influence or intimidate you. As a fighter, you arepletely useless to me. You can find treasures, that''s great. However, you should also know that this world is unfair and that you cannot always rely on the protection of others. In fact, there are too many people in the Nine Realms, all of whom are much stronger than I ever was at my strongest, let alone now without a single Arcane Circle!" Liam knew that he could say a lot more, but he was pretty sure that the small lecture was enough for Jennie. Olivia opened her mouth with the intention to say something but seeing that Liam looked over her with a gaze that told her to shut her mouth, she kept quiet. It was pretty obvious that Liam''s good mood was put to a test thanks to the unnecessary fight between the women. "As for you girls," Liam started, his eyes ice-cold as he looked at the group of 14 women, "I don''t think you have the right to say anything. Jennie fought against a bunch of Lesser Demons, and she killed them on her own. ording to the way you girls acted and fought if one can even consider that fighting, in the first ce, you never even tried to work hard for your own survival. A few of you merely have a big mouth and lots of things to say, without feeling the need to actually act. But what''s the use of dogs who can bark but don''t bite when needed? They''re just noisy and annoying!" Liam took a short pause instead of continuing to rant and deliver a full-blown speech at the women. He took a deep breath while analyzing their response to his words before he decided to wrap up with thest point he wanted to make clear once again. "I think the lot of you better shut your mouth while I am still in a good mood. If not for the gains I made from the Silverheart Dwarves, you would all be dead by now, and your body would have been devoured by the Livral Orb, to get some fine-ass Arcanium. They''re at least worth something!" Derek stared nkly at Liam when he was done making his point. He was already d that Liam was a lot more reasonable than his first impression suggested. However, his threat was on apletely different level than expected. It was brutal and vicious, showing clearly that Liam was not someone to be yed with. Except for one woman, the remaining 13 understood that Liam''s good mood was slowly dwindling. The memories of him mercilessly killing the Silverheart Dwarves was still fresh in their minds. They fell silent and hung their heads low. Of course, there had to be one ck sheep among all of them. The young woman, who had been the loudest and most enraged in the verbal confrontation with Olivia, Felicia, and Jennie, didn''t even think of keeping her mouth shut. On the contrary, she continued to re at the three girls before she turned over to the others, who couldn''t even meet her eyes right now. She scoffed and looked at them in disgust. "Look at you. Now you''re too intimidated to say anything against the girls? Are you guys serious right now?" She asked while turning around to Liam, whom she pointed at threateningly. "And you!!...You should stop threatening us needlessly like this. You''re way too weak-willed to actua¨C..." That was as far as she could speak before Liam''s arm shot forward. A momentter, the woman had lost her voice and a searing pain spread out from her neck. It was a burning sensation that apanied and amplified the pain she began to feel all of a sudden. Liam had pierced through her throat, severing the artery cleanly as well. The woman''s eyes widened in shock as Liam retracted his bloodied w, which was coated in her own blood. She opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but no word escaped her lips. She couldn''t even scream. Liam''s figure started to turn blurry in her eyes, and her entire body grew heavier by the moment. Her vigor dispersed rapidly, while the color in her face was drained in an instant. Only momentster, the woman copsed on the ground. She twitched a few times in a desperate effort to change her inevitable fate before her movements grew heavier and slower. The grim reaper''s scythe reaped the woman''s soul not long after, ending the miserable life of the young woman for good. Screams filled with terror rang through the cavern hall as realization struck the remaining women. They stared at the now-dead body, utterly shocked and scared witless. Meanwhile, Liam cleaned his ws with disgust glimmering in his eyes. "Even dogs know when to shut up." Chapter 116 Shock ?"Even dogs know when to shut up." The moment Liam''s cold voice rang out, the screams died down in an instant. Some women shut their mouths by covering them with both hands while others pressed their lips together as if their life depended on it. Meanwhile, other women and Derek looked at Liam with an iprehensible glimmer in their eyes. Their eyes were fixated on Liam rather than the woman he had murdered mercilessly. "Is there a problem with what I just did?" Liam asked, his eyes shining dangerously. His good mood seemed to have dispersed with the finalment of the young woman, and the result of his pent-up anger and the bad mood was lying on the ground. The women and Derek shook their heads vigorously, while Liam nodded once. "Good for you." He turned over to Felicia and Jennie, who stared nkly at him. They might have not known Liam for long, but they could tell that the Halfling was rather patient and trying to help. It might not look like this always because his outside appearance and attitude made it seem as if he was a rowdy who knew nothing but to kill and let his ws speak, but he was actually pretty patient. For someone like Liam, who had been in a good mood because of the fortune he had earned, to end up killing someone in front of everyone, was quite a shock. "Now that this issue has been taken care of, we can get back to the trial." Liam looked at Felicia and Jennie, ignoring theirplex expressions and the fear in their eyes as he asked, "Where do your parents live?" Without context, the question sounded extremely ridiculous to Derek and the other women. Their minds were still nk and they were not too sure whether they ended up in the wrong movie, or if they were missing out on something very important. To them, it made no sense that Liam would suddenly ask about their address, not less than a minute after he killed one of them. Did Liam not know what shame was?! Or at least have some decency? However, Liam made things even worse for the women as he retrieved the Livra Orb, demanding it to devour the corpse of the dead woman. A few minutes ago, they had been talking to the woman, and now she was dead while no trace of her existence had been left behind. Even her blood seemed to have been devoured! A few women copsed on the ground, unable to cope with the psychological burden of the things that had happened right in front of them, while others began to cry. Only a few were able to retain their calm to a certain extent. They shivered, felt goosebumps and their minds were in a mess, but they didn''t cower in fear or avoid Liam in any way. It hadn''t been long since they had been rescued by the Halfling, but his personality was easy to read for most of them. His shell was hard, and he had gone through a lot, which resulted in the use of violence to solve most issues in the most efficient way he could think of, but his inner core was still soft and gentle. He sought intimacy and love, without realizing that this was actually the case. "My parents live near the outskirts of S. The city is the next closest city to Stura, which you call the Golden City. The distance between the two cities is only around 30 kilometers. It shouldn''t be impossible to reach S in the next few days¡­right?" Jennie asked, her eyes already watery from the bombardment of insults and the lectures she had been forced to endure in thest hour. She knew that she had to grow stronger as quickly as possible, but that was not as easy as everyone made it seem. Even if it might be easy for others, who said that everyone had the same starting point, in the first ce? Jennie was still reluctant to kill others. She didn''t like that Liam killed the young woman just for going against his words. Obviously, Liam was now feared by the others, which made it much easier to rally the other women and order them around, but she couldn''t help herself and wondered if there wouldn''t have been a better way to solve this mess. Liam knew that there had been a better way, but this way would have required more effort and time. It would have made him seem as if he was shying away from violence against humans, or the members of his group. And in the long run, this would have caused a lot more problems. He had chosen the most efficient way to solve the problem at hand, nipping it in the bud though it was not ''the'' best approach. "My parents live in S. If they behave like I think they will, they''re either waiting for me near Mom''s fencing dojo, or they''re looking for me at the school. They will quickly realize that the school was run over by tens of thousands of rats, which means that they will go to the gym, where they will find out that Olivia and I left with you. Maybe they will even find Kian and Rex, who will then tell my parents that I am doing fine. So, how about we take a look at my Mom''s Dojo first?" Felicia asked after revealing what her parents were likely to do now, or what they have already done. ''Both are nearby. That doesn''t really help me gather too much information about the J Valley and the surrounding regions.'' Liam had two major reasons to help Jennie and Felicia to search for their families. First, he wanted to keep using them as his valuable assets. If he rejected their request, the girls were likely to leave. Their Soultraits were actually too valuable for him to let them leave like this. He could hit two birds with a stone by joining them. They could search for their parents while he could research the J Valley''s environment, information about other races that may have settled down in the valley, the habitats of monsters, and so on. Unfortunately, it looked like his research would be extremely short and turn futile if they had to travel only around 30 kilometers to find the girls'' parents. ''Looks like I have to reach deep into my pockets to solve this problem then!'' Chapter 117 Expensive Information ?Liam would never go back on his words. If he promised something, he would always give his utmost to keep his promises. So he didn''t go back on his words after he told Felicia and Jennie that he would take them to their parents. However, his other ns would have to be tweaked a little. The amount of information he could gather while traveling to Stura, the Golden City, and from the Golden City to S, was abysmal. The bits of information weren''t worth troubling himself with gathering, in the first ce. "How much Arcanium do you need to get detailed information about the J Valley?" He thus asked Felicia, who had been too distracted to notice that Liam was staring at her. "Hm? Oh¡­I don''t know," She blurted out, "What information are you looking for? I can make a request to the Arcanium of Truth and we will find out how expensive it will be." Felicia was not too sure what Liam wanted to get to know about the J Valley. Was he interested in the human poption, the topography, the geography, or something entirely different? "It''s pretty simple, really. I just want to know which races chose to settle down in the J Valley and the surrounding regions. I want to know the habitats of monsters all around the J Valley, where the strongest monsters are currently establishing their territory, the topography, etc in addition to how the J Valley changes in ordance to the sudden influx of Arcane Power, if even more constructions from the Nine Realms manifested, and some basic information about the surrounding regions." Felicia forwarded Liam''s request to her Soultrait, spending one Arcanium in exchange. She remained silent for a few seconds, during which nobody else dared to utter a word. Derek and most of the other women had yet to grasp the concept of Soultrait, while the two women were already using their Soultraits subconsciously. All of them were quite intrigued about the power of Soultraits, but none of them dared to ask a question. They knew that their lives would be in better hands if they kept their mouths shut for the time being. "My Soultrait gives me three different versions of the information you want. The cheapest bundle of information costs 100 Arcanium, the Intermediate version is ten times more expensive and is priced at 1000 Arcanium while the ''perfect'' version for the bundle of information you want to get to know costs 2500 Arcanium¡­" Felicia answered, her voice sounding a little strained. After she used her Soultrait multiple times in a single day, she felt a little weak. Felicia had never thought that her Soultrait would be that useful. After all, it hadn''t been possible for her to find out any information about her family. Felicia was not too sure where the issue was, but her Soultrait didn''t work when it was rted to her own family or Jennie''s family. In fact, Felicia wanted to find out more about Liam''s background, but the Soultrait didn''t react to that either. It was not easy to tell what was wrong with her Soultrait, and she could only ept her fate. Soultraits were not perfect, and they seemed to have restrictions as well. That was what Felicia had figured out, even though it didn''t really exin a lot while Liam''s question could always be answered. "Okay, get the perfect version then," Liam said as he retrieved the Livral Orb. He didn''t hesitate to drain half of the remaining Arcane Power inside the Livral Orb for a small fortune of Arcanium. [Transaction has beenpleted, 2500 Arcanium have been added to the bnce of the host!] After he received the Arcanium, Liam made a transaction, handing over 2500 Arcanium to Felicia. [Liam Wandel(Circleless) transferred 2,500.00 Arcanium to Felicia Jaul(Circleless)] Felicia was a little astonished about this, but she didn''t think that Liam had used up his entire fortune just to obtain some information. On the contrary, it was pretty obvious to her that Liam was still filthy rich. As long as he sold everything he had procured from the Silverheart Dwarves, and sold the remaining Saphirate Crystals, he should have much more than 2500 Arcanium. Olivia understood this as well, but the others stared in confusion at Liam, unable toprehend why he would pay such a huge fortune for some pieces of information. Not even Jennie could grasp the intention behind Liam''s actions. "I can earn more Arcanium with the information I will get," He told Jennie, who recalled how much they had earned from a single Underground Tower raid. She also grasped how much Liam was about to earn from the loot of the cavern vige when she took a look at the price he asked for most goods. ''Is he nning to turn into a bandit?'' Jennie wondered while watching Liam, who turned in the direction of the women who had been more annoying than anything else. "If you''re of no use to me, you will have to leave once we enter Stura. I won''t raise you, and won''t care about your death either. It''s already generous enough of me to take you near the gymnasium next to the universities. As long as the other humans continue to hold their forte there, you will be able to survive and find a nice ce to live. If you wish to follow me, which I don''t actually hope, you will have to advance on your own, and show me that you are worth it. If you ever try to leech off of me and my group, I am going to let my ws speak in my stead!" Liam showed the women and Derek his ws once again. They looked grotesque but were long and sharp enough to cut through their bodies with ease. "I will only be ''nice'' until we reach the Golden City!" He repeated and the others nodded their heads. They were already d that Liam didn''t abandon them right here, especially after theirints. It was truly generous of him. Seeing that everyone understood what he said, Liam nodded his head. ''Nobody should feel like joining me now. That''s good. Avoiding the addition of more annoying people in my group is the most important!'' Chapter 118 Memory Crystal ?At the end of the day, even Liam thought that 2500 Arcanium was a pretty high price for some information about a region. The Arcane Apocalypse had just begun which meant that an entire region could be turned upside down in an instant. Nheless, Liam paid the price willingly. He knew that he was in need of the information he would obtain, and it was an investment that might actually save his life a few times. He could avoid various monsters with one or two Arcane circles, and circle around a ce that shouldn''t be visited with his equipment and strength. Furthermore, he could earn back his investment and even make a big profit by visiting ces with rare monsters, whose corpses could be sold for a small fortune. The detailed information should also be enough to tell him about the topography of the J Valley and the surrounding regions. He would get to know details about the unique ces that had been altered by Arcane Power as well. Thus, all-in-all, Liam was pretty sure that he had done the right thing, especially because the smithies and the remaining Saphirate Crystals had just been sold, increasing his wealth to more than 3,000 Arcanium at once! Liam looked at Felicia, expecting her to start feeling a headache soon. He was not sure how the information would be given to her, but he expected her Soultrait to flood her mind with the things she had requested. However, contrary to his expectations, Felicia didn''t feel anything. She spent the 2500 Arcanium Liam had sent over to her, and a white prismarine crystal began to form in her hands. "A Memory Crystal? Well, that''s certainly helpful," Liam muttered. Felicia looked at him in confusion but she handed him the Memory Crystal, or whatever it was, which he epted gratefully. "What''s a Memory Crystal?" Jennie asked, feeling confused, which earned her an expression from Liam, that she would rather not see. ''Are you an idiot?'' That was what his gaze seemed to convey to her. Jennie pressed her lips together and she gloomily looked to the ground. "It''s a crystal that stores memories¡­" Liam answered as if he was exining to a five-year-old. She turned red in embarrassment and felt like hiding behind the moon where nobody would be able to find her. As long as she could avoid being looked at like this, any kind of hideout was fine. Olivia and Felicia snickered when they saw how Jennie reacted. Jennie was a bit of an airhead, but this question was over the top. After all, it was unlikely that a Memory Crystal was a Bow, an Animal, or something else. What else but a crystal that stored memories could it be with a name like this? Liam smiled lightly at her reaction as well. However, he quickly regained his focus and crushed the Memory Crystal to absorb the information he had requested. "Wow¡­" Liam blurted out through his gritted teeth. He was a little baffled. The pieces of information he received were much more detailed than expected, and a lot more abundant than he could have hoped for. The flood of information was enough to make him feel a headache and to rapidly drain him of his mental strength. Blood began to trickle down his nose and he stumbled once. "This is the real stuff. The good stuff!" Liam eximed, his royal purple eyes glowing brightly. The information didn''t assimte into Liam''s mind immediately. It first wreaked havoc inside him, trying to crush his Will Power to turn him into a vegetable afterward. But he did not give in and endured the devastating amount of information that was imprinted deep into his mind to never be forgotten. His Will was powerful, but even then, Liam felt a little helpless. ''A little bit more, and my mind would have been crushed¡­'' He swallowed his saliva and looked at the notification screen that had formed in his head. [The Host''s unbreakable Will endured the influx of 105,135 pieces of information without sustaining any mental damage. This is a great achievement. The Host''s Will has been fortified!] [The Host''s Will increased.] [The Host''s Will increased.] ''This system is ying with me, isn''t it?'' "It''ste already. We will depart tomorrow at dawn." Liam announced before he left. There were numerous pieces of information that had to be assimted, sorted, and stored in his mind neatly, otherwise, he wouldn''t be able to ess them properly. The information was rted to everything of importance in and around the J Valley. Liam got to know a lot about the valley and the surrounding regions. Most pieces of information were important, though there was also information that could be considered rather boring. Nheless, everything might be useful in the future. Thus, analyzing the information anding up with the next steps of a perfect n was thest task for the day. He had to figure out how to quickly find Jennie and Felicia''s families and what to do afterward. The steps that followed were amongst the most important. Liam had toy out a proper n to achieve his long-term and short-term goals. This included, the usage of the Livral Orb to potentially awaken his Bloodlines. Liam would feel much better knowing that he could easily obliterate his family without the need to awaken his Bloodline. Unfortunately, that was not the case. It was not as easy as it seemed at the first nce. With the information he received from the J Valley and the surrounding regions, Liam figured that this ce was a lot more valuable, and dangerous than it first seemed. Liam had yet to encounter a 1st Circle Monster but that was only a matter of time. The information he received told him this quite clearly. It was actually surprising that he had not yet encountered a 1st Circle Monster. He was not strong enough to deal with them yet either, not to face them head-on either way. In fact, even with petty tricks, it would be extremely difficult to kill a 1st Circle monster while he was still ridiculously weak. ''Bloodline Awakening it is then!'' Chapter 119 We Want To Join! ?"We want to join your group!" These five words, as simple as they might sound, caused Liam to stare at the four people in front of him with a deep frown. It was early in the morning and there was still some time left before dawn. Nobody had been able to sleep properly. Felicia and Jennie were too nervous, praying that their family was still alive and doing well. Olivia, on the other hand, was skimming through the Arcane Shop, trying to figure out what she could do in order to be stronger as quickly as possible. She knew that her contribution to the group was not that high right now because she couldn''t even lead and control the neers properly. Herbat power was also not much higher than Felicia''s even though her Soultrait was directly rted to an increment in herbat strength. This irked her enough to spend several hours searching for something in the Arcane Shop. Olivia had found a few things that could help her be stronger, but she was not sure what she should buy and what would be an utter waste of money. After all, these goods were expensive and she wasn''t as wealthy as Liam. At the end of the night, she closed her eyes and fell asleep without purchasing anything. Meanwhile, the others couldn''t sleep because they had been too shocked by the events of the day. They could recall everything with a jarring rity which made some women bawl their eyes out for the rest of the night, while others were quietly sitting around, seemingly as if they had lost their souls. Only a few could ignore the events they had witnessed over the course of the day. Too much seemed to have happened, and nobody could really figure out what kind of person Liam was. He had helped them, but he was also not hesitant to kill them if they became too annoying. It was questionable whether Liam was sane, or if he was a little crazy. There didn''t seem to be any reasoning behind his aggressive attitude, yet, it all felt eerily logical. That was too scary. Nheless, four people, including the one-armed Derek Hael, and Hellen Wagner, the woman who had dismantled the traps in the cave, wished to join Liam''s group. After witnessing how merciless he was, and being stone-hearted enough to kill one of ''his own people'', they still wanted to join his group. "Huh? Are you guys nuts?" Liam frowned deeply, pretty sure that some of them had lost their sanity. "There are only crazy mads on Haltan, this is insane." He shook his head but didn''tment on their decision. It was fine to keep them around until they returned to the Golden City. Until then, he would have gathered enough information to tell these crazy idiots how useless they were. Other than Derek Hael and Hellen Wagner, two more women joined him as well. Liam had no idea who these women were and he didn''t bother asking them about their name either. It was simply not necessary. He was sure that they would leave soon, either way. The others noticed that Liam was not interested in them, but they chose to follow him despite their fear. They could tell that he treated the three girls around him differently, quite literally, at that. This showed Derek, Hellen, and the two other women that they could receive the same treatment, or even better, as long as they were useful to Liam. He never actually fussed about their attempts to follow him. By now, Derek Hael could only tell that Liam hated useless people, people holding him back, and annoying people who obstructed his train of thought and his ns. Being deadweight and annoying to an unhealthy degree was a badbination. That was how Liam ended up killing the most annoying woman, shutting everyone else up. The action might have been wrong but the result was extremely efficient. What Derek and the others couldn''t know was that Liam nned to throw away everyone who was useless once they reached the gymnasium in the Golden City. He had finished digesting the information the Memory Crystal had transferred into his mind and he came up with a decent route to return to the Golden City. The route was the least dangerous and it would offer a rtively safe passage for everyone to reach the Golden City unscathed. Liam couldn''t bother with too many troublesome fights right now. He was too worried about the dangers in and around the J Valley. Liam was not sure if his mother had nned this as well, but the J Valley and the surrounding regions seemed to have turned into a hotspot for dangerous monsters, dungeons, towers, and ancient ruins. A considerable number of Monsters and intelligent beings emerged in the J Valley with their first Arcane Circle intact. Encountering them would be quite troublesome. Avoiding them was possible, but that was only a temporary solution. Sooner orter, he would encounter a bunch of powerhouses, and he had to be much stronger than he was right now, otherwise, they would defeat him easily. He came up with a few ns to be stronger quickly, but the best short-term, and long-term solution was certainly to awaken his bloodlines. The Livral Orb was in his possession, which meant that there wouldn''t be too much of an issue. Liam had only one problem; he never bothered finding out how to awaken his bloodline. He had always rejected his bloodline and never thought the time woulde when he would actually do it. He only knew that a medium was required to awaken a bloodline. Furthermore, one had to be physically strong enough to endure the changes that would ur to the body, and specific ingredients, rted to the bloodline were needed as well. In fact, the materials were just a means to increase the efficiency of the bloodline awakening and to ensure that it would sail smoothly. That was also why he turned over to Felicia when their group had gathered. They left the cavern vige and were on their way back to the Golden City. This gave Liam more than enough time to ask the only person who could help him. "Felicia, ask your Soultrait what I need to awaken my Bloodlines." Chapter 120 Bloodlines ?Bloodlines, also called Origin Powers, dwelled deep inside the body of some beings. They had to be awoken individually and required bending thews of the World to a certain degree. The stronger a Bloodline the harder it is to awaken them by chance and through unique encounters. In fact, some Bloodlines were strong enough to cause severe bacshes upon being awoken. If the vessel was not strong enough, even death was possible. However, under normal circumstances, death was not something that would ur during a bloodline awakening. Usually, the bacshes of Bloodlines could be summarized in a single word- w. All Bloodlines had specific ws. Some would cause the wielder of the Bloodline to go senile whenever the Bloodline''s Power was triggered, the wielder''s personality might change after the Bloodline Awakening, or a fetish would be formed due to the power of the Bloodline. Due to this fact, angels with extremely strong Bloodlines lost the ability to tell lies. They wouldn''t be able to tell half-truths either. The only thing they could say was the bitter truth. If an Angel said that they liked you, they really liked you. That was a good thing. However, if an Angel smiled at you and acted nice, but blurted out that you''re a piece of shit, things would go downhill real quick. Despite the ws of Bloodlines, everyone wished to awaken a strong Bloodline. Awakening them, and coping with the ws of a Bloodline might not always be easy, but the power of Bloodlines was hard to fathom. Even their passive attributes were quite powerful, increasing the wielder''s strength in various ways. As for the attributes of the Bloodline that had to be actively utilized, they were unpredictably powerful, and they would only grow stronger alongside the being that had awoken the bloodline. That was what Liam knew about Bloodlines. It was some basic knowledge everyone was well aware of. Of course, this excluded the Natives. As their group made their way through the green forest of the J Valley, Liam waited for Felicia to answer his earlier question. He had to find out how to awaken his bloodline, and what items he needed. That way, he could start making preparations. However, Felicia looked a little helpless because she was yet to receive an answer even after half an hour had already passed since she asked the question Liam wanted to be answered. "I don''t thi¨C...nevermind, there is something!" Felicia eximed, only for her brightly lit-up expression to disappear once again, "That question costs¡­5000 Arcanium¡­" Felicia felt immediately like cursing her Soultrait. It was way too greedy to ask for 5000 Arcanium for a question like that to be answered. Liam shouldn''t have to spend his money like this. Investing 5000 Arcanium into something else was much more worthwhile! However, it was Liam''s decision at the end of the day. If he wanted to know how to awaken his Bloodline, he would have to spend 5000 Arcanium. Felicia looked over to Liam, who was at the front of the small group, vigntly watching the surrounding area. She was not sure if he had heard her when she received a notification. [Liam Wandel(Circleless) transferred 5,000.00 Arcanium to Felicia Jaul(Circleless)] Liam had to sell the remaining Arcane Power that had been hoarded in the Livral Orb to make up for the deficit and increase his total Arcanium to 5000. He figured that it wouldn''t be cheap to find out how to awaken his bloodlines. After all, both of his bloodlines were far from simple. Most beings would be willing to sell their soul just to get a single bloodline as strong as Liam''s. However, he would feel much better with none of them coursing through his veins. That way he wouldn''t feel that disgusted, at least. "Once you have the answer, write down everything or tell me immediately, without leaving out anything. This is important," Liam suggested as he kept observing the surroundings. Until now, no monsters had attacked them, but it was only a matter of time before that would change. He was a little nervous to find out more about the requirements he had to fulfill to awaken his bloodlines, but he had to be prepared for the worst, whether it was an attack, or bad news from Felicia. "For your Bloodline Awakening, you need some sort of an Origin Crystal. You can also use the Livral Orb, but it needs to be filled with Arcane Power equivalent to 50,000 Arcanium. Then you either need one Ancient Arcane Circle, or all Stats at S¡­then a bunch of ingredients whose names I can hardly speak. The Vigalsdraschnov Pear, then the¡­" Felicia approached him while reciting what she had recently learned. She wasn''t speaking loudly, but her voice was loud enough for Liam to hear her clearly. She butchered the names of the ingredients real bad but Liam didn''t need to be a linguist toprehend what materials she was talking about. "Good gracious." No matter how expensive he expected his awakening to be, he could have never guessed it right. He required a total of six items other than the Livral Orb with Arcane Power equivalent to 50,000 Arcanium. By searching the items in the Arcane Shop and the other shops, Liam quickly found out that their prices were varying a lot. Some were priced at 8,000 Arcanium, while others required a bunch of kidneys to be sold. As for the most expensive item, it cost 40,000 Arcanium. All-in-all, the entire Bloodline Awakening was bound to cost more than 150,000 Arcanium. That price was ridiculous because not even High-ranked Relics were that expensive. Of course, there were exceptions such as the Livral Orb, but still¡­ How was he supposed to save up 150,000 Arcanium while he had to spend his Arcanium to improve his Stats, upgrade the Arcane Kunai, and buy other pieces of equipment as well? He didn''t even have a proper main weapon yet! Thinking about the Arcanium he had earned since the start of the Apocalypse, he could only smile lightly. ''This is what I call a challenge¡­'' Even though his findings were rather frustrating, Liam was d that he knew what requirements he had to fulfill in order to awaken his bloodlines. Wait¡­were the mentioned items required for both bloodlines¡­or were it just the requirements for one Bloodline Awakening?! Chapter 121 Happy Olivia ?When Liam asked Felicia whether he had to awaken his bloodlines separately or if the information about the Bloodline Awakening he paid for would awaken both of his bloodlines, he didn''t expect to hear this answer. "The Truth of Arcanium said that your Awakening is for your mixed bloodline as the Son of the H¨C..." Before Felicia could say more, Liam interrupted her, just in time, "Okay, I get it." Felicia smiled mischievously at Liam when she noticed that he was a little flustered. It looked like she had found out something quite interesting. "Looks like I found out your secret~" She teased with a glint in her eyes. Liam only shook his head and switched his attention to Olivia, who had heard everything as well. Since the day before, Olivia had been deep in thought, and she still was. Ever since she had heard about bloodlines, her interest had been piqued. "What exactly are bloodlines, and how do I awaken my bloodline? Wait, can everyone even awaken their bloodline, in the first ce, or is that some sort of privilege for powerful entities?" She thus asked, lightly caressing her soft chin. This made it seem as if Olivia was trying to imitate an old man caressing his beard. Liam''s knowledge about bloodlines was not that vast, but he could summarize it in simplified terms. "A bloodline is simr to a Soultrait. Not everyone can awaken a bloodline. It''s pretty rare, in fact. However, not only beings with great power can awaken a bloodline. Ordinary beings can awaken bloodlines as well. You should make use of Feliica''s ability to find out more. However, keep in mind that bloodlines will have certain ws. The stronger a bloodline, the more apparent the ws. But it will be worth it¡­most of the time, at least." Directing Olivia to Felicia was the best he could do. In order to make good use of Felicia''s Soultrait, they had to use it as often as possible. Knowledge was power, and Felicia''s Soultrait could provide them with as much knowledge as they could afford. That was extremely helpful and something they should never forget to make use of. Being prepared for all kinds of disasters in exchange for Arcanium was much better than being oblivious to the dangers one was about to face while being rich. Wealth would lose all its value the moment one died. It was better to make use of it to stay alive, be stronger, and ovee all hurdles thrown in their way. Olivia''s eyes gleamed in hope. She didn''t say another word to Liam and rushed over to Felicia, clinging onto her like a leech. Olivia mumbled something in Felicia''s ear, just for the bubbly girl to stare at her best friend with a frown. ''Why is she so excited?!'' Felicia sighed deeply and used her Soultrait. She nodded her head toward Olivia, who squealed out in joy. ''Did she ask whether she has a bloodline to awaken or not?'' Liam wondered, looking at the two women with faint interest. However, before he could ask something, his ears perked up and his Devil''s Eyes Soultrait was triggered. The Arcane Kunai shot out of its sheath and flew in his left hand, while is right hand turned into a long, ck w. "Monsters areing our way. Get ready to fight!" As Liam''s warning rang throughout the group behind him, the women stiffened. Felicia and Olivia stopped joking around and they unsheathed their weapons. Their movements were smooth and very fast. It was almost as if they had been preparing all their lives for this very moment. Jennie was not that fast but she readied her crossbow. A small pouch filled with bolts had been attached to the belt and it hung down her waist, allowing her to easily reach for it. Jennie didn''t want to fight anyone, but she knew that there was no way around it. If she wanted to survive, she would have to fight. However, if she could choose how to fight, she would rather keep her distance from the ferocious monsters. That was why she was d that they found enough crossbows and bolts to use in a long-range attack. Derek Hael and Hellen Wagner were the first of the neers to prepare for the battle. Derek wielded the light longsword he had purchased the day before. However, something about the weapon had changed. A bright green light now enveloped the entire longsword. Derek swung it around to test the effect of his Soultrait, and he smiled in satisfaction. Thanks to a single piece of advice Liam had given, Derek was finally able to use his Soultrait. He understood the essence of his Soultrait andprehended a way to use his Soultrait urately. There was no resistance when he shed out. The air around the de was naturally pushed away, increasing the velocity of his attacks drastically. That was one of the unique traits of his Soultrait, [Swordgale Aura]. The green aura he had manifested increased the durability and sharpness of his sword, while simultaneously repelling the air around it. It was a great Soultrait for a warrior, and it was one of the reasons why Liam didn''t reject Derek immediately. He knew some powerhouses who had awoken elemental auras, and he wanted to see how far Derek could make it. But instead of focusing his attention on Derek, or the other women, Liam rushed forward to attack the small group of boars that came their way. He threw the Arcane Kunai in their direction with full force before using their predicted path to move sideways. He avoided their tusks, catched the Arcane Kunai after it reaped the first life, while his right w dug through the boar''s hide and flesh. His entire w disappeared inside the boar, which could only squeal in endless pain and twitch violently before it slowed down. Its entire side had been cut open and it slowly bled to death not long after. [Half-Mutated Boar(Haltan) has been yed.] [+0.1 Arcanium] Once Liam found out that the boars were animals from Haltan, he didn''t pay them much attention. From the information of the Memory Crystal he knew that the animal kingdom of Haltan had begun to develop. They began to ept the surrounding Arcane Power and were growing stronger. They had evolved to survive in the new world that had been forced onto them, just like the Natives. But the boars were extremely weak. A single shot with the crossbow of the Silverheart Dwarves was enough to smash their skullpletely. ? It shouldn''t be much of a problem for the others to kill them as well. At least that was how it was supposed to be. Chapter 122 Get Rid Of Them! Defeating the group of Half-Mutated Boars hadn''t been a big problem. However, friendly fire certainly was a big problem. Some women panicked at the sight of the boars charging at them. They shot blindly in the direction of the boars in an attempt to kill them. The simple fact that members of their group might be fighting in the frontlines and could identally get injured was not something they had bothered about. Olivia, Derek and Hellen had nearly been killed because of some reckless women who couldn''t even use the few brain cells they had to aim at their opponents rather than their allies. It was only fortunate that Liam had been present and that he observed the course of the fight with his Devil''s Eyes Soultrait fully triggered. He could react fast enough to destroy the bolts that had been identally shot at the natives in the front. The Arcane Power in his Arcane Kunai had been used up to destroy the bolts before they sttered upon the heads of the few people he considered valuable. In a fit, he retrieved all crossbows and bolts, leaving the only weapons to Derek, Hellen, Olivia, Felicia, and Jennie. As for the others, they didn''t deserve any weapons in his opinion. They could already be grateful that Liam hadn''t been enraged enough to kill them! That was something he actually thought about doing after they panicked in a fight against some weak-ass monsters. The boars were weak and they hadn''t been in a numerical advantage either! Despite that, Liam had to intervene to make sure that they wouldn''t have three casualties. To summarize the battle in one word, it was clearly a disaster. No matter how well Felicia and Olivia worked together, and how surprising it was to see that Derek was able to remain unscathed while fighting against two boars, their group was still struggling. Derek was not even fighting with his strong arm, and he was still physically and mentally affected by the loss of his strong arm. His stats weren''t that high either, but that didn''t change anything as he fought the two boars with much more calm than expected. Derek''s Soultrait was certainly a great help because he could issue lethal attacks that were also extremely fast. This was a great advantage that others weren''t granted through their Soultrait. Liam was not too sure how fast Derek could get stronger but he saw a faint spark of potential in the young man. But he was truly surprised by Hellen''s fighting style. Instead of joining the other women in using the crossbows to fight while maintaining some distance from the monsters, she had purchased a dagger set which she had used to kill a boar after giving it some effort. Hellen was not yet proficient with the daggers, and her inexperience of fighting with her life on the line had also a big impact on her performance. But what astonished Liam was none of that. He was more surprised about her courageous attempt to fight the boar by herself. She forced herself to stay calm, which was exactly what she needed to emerge victorious. On the other hand, Jennie fought as expected. She didn''t hinder anyone and attacked the boar that had been the farthest from everyone. That way, she could make sure that even if her attack would miss, nobody would be injured. Pulling the trigger was much easier than fighting someone while fighting in closebat. However, Jennie was still not feeling great. But that was the least of Liam''s concerns. He was enraged and felt like ripping the throats of the women who screamed at the top of their lungs while shooting around wildly, wasting bolts, attracting more monsters, and endangering their allies. It was literally a wonder, how Liam could keep his murderous intentions at bay. He didn''t kill the women, though he upped the pace a little. That way, they reached the Golden City around the afternoon. Almost everyone was exhausted, but they made it to the za in front of the gymnasium. The surrounding scenery had changed a little. More destroyed and abandoned buildings came into view and the destruction and evidence of huge battles could be found wherever one looked. However, Liam didn''t mind these signs and evidence. He was focused on getting rid of the annoying women, who couldn''t do anything well except be loud, stupid, and dangerous for his people. "I think it''s time for you to depart. It has been horrible enough to have you near me, so better leave quickly, otherwise, I might feel like beating you guys up a little." Liam''s farewell was far from emotional and pleasant. He didn''t even try to make it seem as if he was unhappy about their departure. ? His smile was one of joy and relief about their departure. The women pressed their lips together, and their heads turned over to the humongous gymnasium. "I think we should apologize for the trouble we caused you. Thanks for your help¡­" One of the women said with a forced smile on her lips. She knew that they had been stupid and entitled but it was hardly possible to stay sane in times like these. The woman left without saying anything else. Everything that had to be said was said, and she didn''t want to bother Liam any further. He was kind enough to bring them to the gymnasium. Now it was on them to figure out what to do in the future and how to survive. Slowly, the women left one by one. Some thanked him, while others left quietly. Liam didn''t mind either of them, he just wanted all of them gone. In less than a minute, the only neers left behind were Hellen, Derek, and the two other women who had decided to stay in Liam''s group. "You two should leave as well. As long as I''m still nice," Liam told the two women whose names he didn''t even bother to remember. "Your ns to leech off of me won''t work. Either leave now, or I will snap your necks." The two women hadn''t expected Liam to bluntly ask them to leave as well. They stared at each other and then at Liam once again. "B-But¡­we did our best?! We''re getting better, and we''re not useless¡­even Hellen was worse than both of us. We kill three boars together!" One of them retorted, with a stammering voice. She knew what happened to thest woman who had retorted to Liam, but she couldn''t help but feel that he was being unfair. "That''s just your opinion. You are delusional, and your attacks nearly killed Derek. So what if you killed three boars, I don''t give a shit!" Chapter 123 Familiar Faces "That''s just your opinion. You are delusional, and your attacks nearly killed Derek. So what if you killed three boars, I don''t give a shit!" Liam''s sudden outburst attracted the attention of the women who had already left his group. They turned around to look behind and once again were d and reassured that they had made the right choice. If they wanted to travel with someone who would keep shouting at them and threatening to kill them, they might as well go to the prison to visit a few scumbags there. However, other than the women who turned around to look at the situation, neither Olivia, Felicia, Jennie, nor Derek and Hellen seemed to be surprised by his outburst. The two women might have killed three boars, but two of their bolts nearly hit Derek as well. He didn''t have a favorable impression of people who shot him in his back, quite literally, and he wanted to avoid them if possible. Derek was quite thankful that Liam took note of the incident and that he pointed it out. "Don''t look at me like that, and fuck off. Derek is a much betterbat force than the two of youbined. He has only one arm, his weak arm at that, yet he is brave enough to fight on the frontlines, where a single mistake can lead to death. But even while facing multiple boars at the same time, he remains rather calm despite his inexperience in closebat! Meanwhile, Hellen is more useful to the group when her Soultrait is used inbination of Jennie''s. As long as they work together, we can easily raid dungeons, towers, and other ancient structures. They''re worth the investment I''m willing to make as long as they don''t give up on themselves. As for you two...you cannot even fight one monster on your own without ''identally'' releasing a few bolts at your own allies. You two have yet to awaken your Soultraits as well. No matter how I look at it, you guys are simply not worth an investment of 1000 Arcanium each. I see no potential in either of you. You''re the best examples of death gs! I don''t want to be shot in the back either." Liam shouted in agitation, his eyes gleaming dangerously. His hands were slowly forming into ws and he was just about to take a step closer to them and either forces them to leave and never be seen by him again or to end up as a bunch of Arcanium for him and the Livral Orb. The two women began to shiver uncontrobly. They clenched their fists and held onto each other for support. They were reluctant to leave but as they didn''t want to die, the only thing they could do was to actually leave. Their n to use Liam as their means of survival failed miserably and the two women could only suppress their sobs as they turned around to catch up with the other women. "What an interesting show. I didn''t expect you to continue to pick up people, let alone that you would bring them to our small fortress." A calm voice addressed him from their left. Liam had already noticed a group of people from the corner of his eyes but he didn''t intend to pay any attention to them. ''Them'' were actually Felix, Kian, Rex, and a few other natives who resided in the humongous gymnasium, which they had turned into a big fortress. Looking over to the group, Liam smiled lightly. He retracted his ws and continued to stare at them with an amiable expression on his face. He didn''t really have a problem with Felix. In fact, Felix was the least of his worries right now. Some of his people, however, were a little bit different. They retrieved their weapons from the scabbard and prepared for battle. That was what everyone except Rex, Kian and Felix did instinctively upon seeing Liam, and it was only natural. Liam would be wary of members of other races as well. It was better to be careful than dead, after all! What Liam didn''t expect was that Olivia, Felicia and Jennie would jump in front of him and enter a defensive stance. The three girls were ready to fight Felix and his group at any moment, which was a slight surprise. "If you want to kill him, you have to fight us first!" Olivia announced, her voice cold as ice. Liam didn''t expect the three girls to be willing to fight other humans for him, especially Jennie. He was not too sure if she could cope with the aftermath if she were to actually pull the trigger of the crossbow and kill a fellow human. Nheless, it was very interesting and kind of nice to see that the girls were ready to protect him. "This is so sweet~" The moment a bulky man said these words in a mocking tone, the girls frowned deeply. Their expressions turned into disgust. "E, a creep. Where the hell did you pick up someone like this, Felix?" Olivia asked while she scowled and rolled her eyes. She exaggerated her expression that revealed utter disgust and contempt toward the bulky man, who had attempted to make fun of Liam. Surprisingly, the other two girls joined her as well, making fun of the bulky man even before he could say something. Liam didn''t react to either of the provocations. He kept looking at the three girls, who continued to harass the bulky man. Meanwhile, Rex and Kian took note of Derek and Hellen. The other women who were on their way to the gymnasium''s main entrance attracted their attention as well. It hadn''t been long since they separated, yet it looked like lots of things had happened. "Did you end up picking up more people?" Rex asked, not sure what else he should ask Liam. He didn''t know if Liam held a grudge because he and Kian left them, but he hoped that this was not the case. Despite that, he felt a little ufortable. He had not intended to leave at that time and did it only for his best friend. He actually wondered what would have happened if he hadn''t left Liam''s group. Had he taken the right decision?" Chapter 124 Youre Weak And Incompetent "We ended up like this, yeah," Liam responded with a shrug, "Not that I wanted to though." "Not that it''s your business anymore!" Felicia suddenly added with a re. She had known Rex and Kian for several years now and was extremely disappointed in their decision to leave their group. Liam might not be perfect, but Kian''s reaction was literally one of a hypocrite. Though all of them were a hypocrite in one way or another, Felicia felt that Kian was the biggest of them all! Rex may not be as much of a hypocrite as Kian, but she was annoyed about his indecisiveness and annoying attitude to simply follow his best friend. Rex understood that his impression had been ruined considerably in the eyes of his ssmates, but there was nothing he could do about it. He felt a little bit sad, however, there was nobody to listen to hisints. On the other hand, Kian didn''t really seem bothered by Olivia''sment. "I agree. It''s none of our business." Kian''s voice carried a hint of coldness as he looked at the group he had once been a part of. Liam was not too sure what was going on in the young man''s mind but that was not something he was interested in enough to pay more attention to Kian. He didn''t hold a grudge against Rex or Kian either. They had chosen their path and that was fine with him, as long as they didn''t cross paths with him as enemies. In that case, he would have to kill them. However, Liam didn''t think that something like this would happen anytime soon. He was pretty sure that he could read the room pretty decently. Felix, the leader of the natives in the gymnasium, didn''t intend to fight him. Felix didn''t unsheathe his weapons and he didn''t change his stance either. He was standing tall and proud at the front of his group, his shoulders squared and his chin held high. He watched the women who made their way to the gymnasium and assessed their condition in the following seconds. "How did you find them?" There was no arrogance, or disgust in his voice. Felix was genuinely curious to find out how Liam found so many women. After all, it was not difficult to determine that there was only one new man and over a dozen new women that had temporarily joined Liam''s group. Liam didn''t intend to hide the facts. He summarized the events in a few sentences and gave him a brief answer. Felix was slightly surprised but he could maintain his expression well. "I heard the news about foreign races from other cities. As you may know, it is a little bit difficult tomunicate over a long distance with the loss of the inte, but we were able to get to know some information. Stura has yet to face the threat of foreign races, but it should only be a matter of time before that will change as well. Of course, that doesn''t mean Stura is safe. Most areas in Stura have been destroyed by the monster hordes. But as you can see the gymnasium is still standing strong. We will see what we''re going to do with the information you''ve provided, thank you!" He said with a small smile on his face. Felix seemed a lot more talkative than before. Liam squinted his eyes and the girls in front of him were also a little stupefied. "If you find more helpless survivors of the Arcane Apocalypse, send them over to the gymnasium. Every bit of help is highly appreciated!" ''Is he nning something? Why is he so amiable all of a sudden? He was never hostile to me, but this is a little too much, ain''t it?'' Liam thought as he listened to Felix''s proposal to send hapless survivors to the gymnasium. Leading others through the apocalypse was certainly not easy. It was not exactly worthwhile because he wouldn''t earn lots of Arcanium. The amount of work required to achieve that shouldn''t be worthwhile. ''Did he receive a mission? That''s probably it.'' Liam was deep in thought, but he was pulled out of it as he sensed the killing intent of a young man. The young man had golden hair, and a lean build. His natural posture indicated that he was familiar with martial arts. He was standing next to Felix and radiated intense killing intent. "We''re on the verge of death because of bastards like you. If you and your people wouldn''t exist¡­everything would be fine¡­why¡­WHY did you have to attack us? Was it really necessary¡­You bastards should have never existed in the first ce¡­" Liam raised one eyebrow as he looked at the lean martial artist. "I think you''re mistaken about something," Liam said, "You''re just too fucking weak to defend yourself and the people you deem to hold dearly." His royal purple eyes stared straight in the eyes of the martial artist. The young man''s entire being seemed to be filled with wrath and uncontroble hatred for Liam. "If you''re too ipetent to stay alive, just ept your fate and die!" Liam was still reeling with anger from their trip through the forest. It had been a hassle toe up with a secure route through the small part of the J Valley''s forest. There had hardly been any dangerous monsters, yet the women in his group hadn''t even been able to kill them without endangering their allies. He was still irked by the sheer presence of those ignorant and stupid women, and he couldn''t handle anymore bullshit right now. Felix noticed that the situation was showing signs of escting and going down the wrong path. He didn''t intend to fight with Liam, and it was quite obvious that Liam didn''t have that intention either. Unfortunately, the young man who had trained martial arts with him for quite a while already, Max, didn''t think the same way. "Don''t g¨C.." Felix ordered, while his hand reached out for Max''s arm to hold him back from doing anything stupid. However, Max had already disappeared. The young martial artist charged forward with terrific eleration. Liam immediately knew that Max''s Agility was on par with Kian''s. That was a little annoying but it didn''t bother him much. He was more interested in the response of the three girls. Would they attack Max, whose killing intent was clearly perceptible by everyone, or would they be too scared to attack? Interestingly enough, Jennie lifted the crossbow which she was holding with trembling hands, and triggered it. A bolt was released a mere momentter. The bolt cut through the air and it strafed Max''s shoulder, cutting through his clothes. Jennie''s legs gave in a momentter as she realized what she had just done. However, Felicia and Olivia were not as weak-willed. They shot forward and shed at Max at the same time. This was also a little surprising to Liam. He didn''t expect the girls to really lunge forward and attack Max. After all, the young martial artist was probably not in the right mental condition. He had probably lost too many people he held dearly, and couldn''t ept the appearance of the Arcane System, and the connection to the Nine Realms. Just as Olivia''s longsword was about to behead Max, the young martial artist disappeared. He seemed to have vanished without leaving a trace of his existence. Olivia and Felicia missed their target. They stumbled over the ground and nearly fell but turned around to take a look back to Liam worriedly. And there he was, standing behind Liam, piercing out with a dagger. Chapter 125 Heart Max appeared behind Liam and he pierced his dagger forward with a terrifying velocity. He was in Liam''s blind spot and his surprise attack was fast enough to stab him once or twice before the monster of a Devil would be able to react. At least, that was supposed to be the case. Max was already imagining the feeling of his dagger cutting into Liam''s flesh and reaping his life when the sound of metal colliding with metal rang through his ears. His movement came to a halt all of a sudden, and he found himself unable to continue his attack. Looking down at his de, he found a levitating Kunai blocking the dagger with the t side. The Arcane Kunai was vibrating and it shot at him all of a sudden as Max began to move, trying to initiate a second attack before it was toote. He tried to stab again, just to hear the sound of his dagger''s de shattering to pieces. The Arcane Kunai pierced the dagger, breaking it easily. "Wha¨C..." Max shouted out loud, just to freeze in his tracks as Liam turned his head around. Swirling vortexes of darkness had manifested in the pupils, wanting to devour the young martial artist inside them. He nked out and stared at Liam, whose darkness vortex-like pupils seemed to seal away the abyss, while the hazy shade of purple and ck, created the diffused glow of a gxy that hypnotized Max with the help of the speckles of white dots in his royal purple iris. "Don''t do it!" Felix shouted out loud all of a sudden, but Liam didn''t listen. He smiled lightly at Max, whose body shuddered and erupted in goosebumps as Liam''s right arm shot out. Ssh Crack. "Arghh!!" A scream of terror tore through Max''s throat as Liam''s w pierced into his chest, cracking his rib cage before digging deeper inside. With a gleam in his eyes, Liam tugged at something in Max''s chest which caused the young man''s eyes to widen in shock when Liam showed the young martial artist what he had just retrieved from his chest. Everyone grew tense and nobody moved a muscle as the sight of a wildly thumping heart came into their view. Max copsed on the ground all of a sudden. Liam looked at the limply lying body for a moment and he held Max''s heart above his head before he squeezed hard. A sickening squelchter, Liam''s ws dug into the heart, puncturing and tearing through it, turning it into a mangled piece of flesh that didn''t resemble its original appearance at all. Blood gushed out of the mashed heart, running down Liam''s hands as it poured down on Max''s head. The frightened women who had been with Liam before screamed in terror, but nobody was in a condition to pay them any attention. Their screams were nothing but the sound of a breeze in their ears at this moment. "You¡­" Felix was flustered. The moment Max attacked Liam with killing intent, he knew that it would be very hard to solve this issue on good terms. Liam was not someone who would just ept an attempted murderer with a ''Oh, you want to kill me? That''s fine, I won''t retaliate. Go for my neck, buddy!''. Liam was the type of person to repay kindness with kindness and hatred with even more hatred. This was something he demonstrated once again, quite clearly at that. "Do you have a problem with what I just did?" Liam asked, his Devil''s Eyes staring deep into the soul of the flustered men and women on the za. Nobody dared to utter a single word as Liam''s gaze traveled through all the people. "As I thought." The Livral Orb materialized in his hand and a huge maw made of white shining fangs shot out of the ground, devouring Max''s corpse. A second series of screams rocked the za and the shock on the face of Felix and his group of people was apparent. Even the women who had already known about the Livral Orb were shocked. Once again, something grotesque had happened right in front of them. How could they not scream out loud? "We will leave then," Liam said, motioning to the people of his group to follow him. The screams of the women were likely to attract some monsters, and he wanted to avoid fighting when he was not sure what kinds of monsters their screams attracted. "Ah, by the way¡­ Did her parentse by, by chance?" He asked, halting in his tracks. Liam pointed at Felicia while adding, "Was someone asking for Felicia Jual?" Felix didn''t answer at first. He was still too shocked about the incidents that had happened and needed some time to take a deep breath or two and recover. It was not that easy to digest Liam killing someone in cold blood, after all! "I don''t know her family, and nobody asked for her." Felix figured that if he didn''t answer Liam''s question, things would get only more difficult for them. And given Liam''s temper, he did not want to irk him moments after he had killed Max. The death of hisrade and friend pained him, but he had the responsibility to protect and lead the residents of the gymnasium. That was his mission, and he intended to fulfill it. Even if he wanted to fight Liam for his murder, it was a fact that Liam had merely defended himself against Max. Killing Max might not have been necessary, but Felix knew that Liam wouldn''t spare someone who attacked him. That was not the type of person Liam was. "Alright. Bye then." Liam turned away and he dashed out of the za without another backward nce. There was no need to stay longer in a potential danger zone. Olivia, Felicia, Jennie, Hellen, and Derek got back to their senses and quickly rushed behind Liam. Hellen and Derek were still reeling from the aftereffects of the shock of witnessing how brutal and cruel Liam was to his enemies, but it was not as if it was the first time they had seen Liam kill another human. It scared them a little, but there was not much they could do about that. They needed strength and they could tell that Liam was the strongest. If they wanted to learn from the best, they had to make some sacrifices. Furthermore, it was never bad to face the bitter reality sooner rather than foolishly living in a dreamworld that didn''t actually exist. "Felicia, lead the way!" Chapter 126 Loan? "Liam, how can I earn enough money to regrow my limb quickly? 50,000 Arcanium seems way too expensive with all those other expenses I have to take care of in order to not fall behind¡­" Derek Hael asked while running next to Liam. They weren''t running too fast as they followed Felicia who used the shortest path through the city in order to get to her mother''s fencing dojo. "You want to earn money quic¨C...Oi, Felicia, not that way. There is a nest of Giant Fire Ants." Liam was just about to shout a warning when Felicia pulled into a side alley they should not have entered. Giant Fire Ants were as strong as the Canine Shedims, but there were a thousand times more of them. Giant Fire Ant Soldiers, Elite Soldiers, and so on should not even exist but they did. It was better to avoid them for the time being since Liam was not confident of being able to kill so many Giant Fire Ants either. Their carapace was thick and resilient, and their body had acidity traits that were highly corrosive. ck Steel Weapons would corrode after being bathed in the blood of the Giant Fire Ants, meaning that it was only possible to kill one or two of them before a ck Steel Weapon would be rendered useless. As for Liam''s weapons, his ws wouldn''t corrode that easily. However, his skin would slowly burn and it was only a matter of time before he would end up losing his hands. The Arcane Kunai wouldn''t crumble to pieces after being corroded, but Liam figured that his control of the Arcane Kunai would be temporarily weakened through the acidity traits of the Giant Fire Ants'' blood. The blood coating the Arcane Kunai would try to get through to the de and destroy it, which the Arcane Kunai would prevent in response. "Oh? Okay then. Good thing that you purchased the information about the J Valley," Felicia mumbled, half absent-mindedly. Her worry kept increasing exponentially the closer they got to the fencing dojo. It was only a matter of half an hour until they would reach the dojo, and she was not too sure what would await her. The best scenario was that everyone survived and her parents were waiting for her while the worst was that her parents had disappeared without a trace, leaving her no way of knowing whether they were still alive or if they had been killed. Knowing that her parents died would be better than being oblivious to the truth. It might hurt and damage her mind if she were to find the dead bodies of her entire family, but at least she would know what happened to them. Not knowing anything was much worse! Everyone understood her worries, but it was more important that they reached the fencing dojo alive and unscathed at best. Thus, they made a few detours with Liam pointing out the streets and alleys they shouldn''t visit for the time being. Afterward, he turned back to Derek, whose question was still unanswered. "If you''re confident that you will be able to earn Arcanium faster once your strong arm grew back, you should ask the system if it can lend you 50,000 Arcanium. However, pay attention to the conditions the system offers you. It might ask for expensive coteral and demand an extremely high-interest rate. Read through the notification carefully before epting anything, otherwise, you might actually turn a windfall into a tornado that will sweep you off your feet." Liam had used the loaning mechanism of the Arcane System once. It had been very useful for him, and he would use it again if needed. Now that he thought about it, he grew a little interested. "System, what''s the highest loan I can avail myself with an interest rate below 3%? Use the Livral Orb as coteral that you can obtain if I fail to pay back my interest and debt. Take this into consideration, will you?" [Analysispleted¡­No active Loan Contract detected¡­Interest rate has been calcted.] [The highest loan the host can take is 500,000 Arcanium. The Interest rate is 2.8%, per month, which is equivalent to 14,200 Arcanium per month. This is after taking the current circumstances into consideration, and the Livral Orb as coteral] ''When I said that I want an interest rate lower than 3%, I meant annually¡­'' Liam thought, showing the Arcane System his middle finger in his mind. [The system analyzed the host''s thought and readjusted the offer] [The highest loan the host can take is 1 Arcanium. The Interest is 300%, and the host''s Livral Orb will be sealed.] "Hah¡­I didn''t know that the Arcane System is a jokester¡­" Liam shook his head while paying some attention to Derek, whose expression had changed considerably. "I have to use my Soul as coteral and can take out a loan for 50,000 Arcanium with an interest rate of 500 Arcanium a month. That''s roughly 12% interest a year. Don''t you think that is a little high? Ah, and I need toplete thest payment int five years, otherwise, my soul will be taken by the Soul Reaper, apparently¡­" Derek thought that his Soul as coteral would be more worthwhile. Unfortunately, his interest rate was extremely high. Being able to regrow his arm was extremely important in his opinion, not only because he didn''t want to live with one arm, but also because hisbat prowess would inevitably increase drastically once he trained himself to wield two weapons with which he could use the Swordgale Aura. He had lost his strong arm, which meant that it was even more important to get his arm back! But paying 500 Arcanium every month, just as an interest rate? That was a little high for him. Fighting the half-mutated boars didn''t even increase his Arcanium by five units. Wouldn''t that mean he had to fight every single day for 24 hours until he would copse just to earn the Arcanium that would pay his interest? He would not even be able to touch the principal amount. That was a little too much! "It looks like the interest rate is directly proportional to the loan amount, the higher amount the higher the rate. That''s pretty obvious, but you can take it into consideration. The stronger you get, the easier it will be for you to kill stronger monsters. Earning 50,000 won''t be easy but selling expensive monster carcasses will definitely bring in a small fortune. If you want to regrow your arm sooner rather thanter, I would actually take the offer. Though, just make sure that you always pay the interest rate. Losing your soul is not aughing matter. I witnessed it a few times¡­it''s not nice!" "Hah¡­thanks¡­I guess¡­" Chapter 127 Dojos Ruins Felicia stopped in her tracks, taking heavy breaths. Her chest began to heave up and down as she bit on her lower lip. They arrived at her mother''s fencing dojo! However, the once-beautiful Dojo was now in shambles. Its walls had crumbled and the roof caved in. The wooden floor was now torn and on the verge of copsing. The walls surrounding the dojo were partially destroyed and dried blood could be found wherever one looked. The lush dojo yard was now destroyed, thend uneven and loose soil thrown around everywhere. It would not require much for someone to tell that a big battle had happened in the dojo. ''But why does it look like several centuries have passed? This building seems to have aged by a few hundred years, or Felicia''s mother likes it old and dusty¡­well, whatever.'' The faded and tattered banners disyed the fencing dojo''s name and its motto. They fluttered weakly in the breeze, barely held in ce by the remains of the walls. ''This ce is basically a ruin. Her family is probably dead.'' Liam nced at Felicia, whose chest was heaving. Her breath was ragged and tears welled up inside her eyes. Even Felicia had a hard time hoping that her family would have survived a battle on such a scale. The entire dojo had been destroyed, and the yard looked like it had been bombed. Liam ruffled Felicia''s hair before he stepped through the arched entrance gate of the dojo. His Soultrait was fully activated and he began to keenly observe everything in detail. He saw traces of the dojo''s former glory. The training equipment that had once adorned the training hall, the chipped fencing suits, the chipped sabers that were soaked in blood, and some barely recognizable tools that seemed to have been used as a weapon in a desperate attempt to fight. Liam found a few corpses of snakes, lizards, and even roons. However those were not normal animal corpses but all of them had undergone a full mutation, which made them glow in a faint green hue. Their blood reeked horribly and it caused the surrounding lush greenery to wither. ''Thest battle was a day or two ago, and there are no corpses of Natives. Could they be alive?'' The deafening silence of the dojo had been eerie and ominous at first. However, things changed quickly as the loud creaking of the dojo''s wooden flooring rang out from his right side. Liam''s hands turned into terrifying ck ws in an instant and the Arcane Kunai was unsheathed. It hovered next to his head, ready to shoot forward and eliminate any kind of threat. However, what awaited him was not a monster, but a bulky man holding a huge butcher knife. Hisbat stance was bad, and he seemed to be weak and drained. "Vile Monster, leave or I will end you right here and right now!" The bulky man shouted out loudly. He tried to sound imposing and threatening, but ended up coughing up blood. The white of his eye was covered by a faint greenish haze, which caused Liam to retract the Arcane Kunai. Even if he were to fight that man, he wouldn''t even need a quarter of his strength to knock him out. The man in front of him was already on the verge of copsing. There was no need for him to do anything. "Dad?" Felicia''s weak and confused voice took everyone by surprise. She hadn''t dared to enter the dojo yet. Preparing herself mentally for the moment of truth, Felicia had waited outside. However, the moment she heard her father''s voice, Felicia couldn''t hold herself back anymore. She rushed into the dojo yard, broke into hysterical sobs, and ran straight into his arms. The bulky man was momentarily stunned, but upon seeing that his daughter was alive and well, he couldn''t even muster the strength to keep holding the butcher knife. It felt to the ground with a ng and the bulky man embraced his daughter tightly. For a few seconds, he forgot about his pain, the potential threat standing not too far from them, and all of his worries. "My daughter¡­my poor daughter¡­" He said as relief flooded his heart while he caressed his daughter. "Dad¡­Dad¡­Dad¡­I''m back¡­" Felicia blurted out while crying bitterly. Tears streamed down her cheeks like a river and she spent more than a minute before she regained herposure a little. "What about¡­mom?" She asked, staring at her father with her watery eyes that were red from all the crying. "You silly girl. We''re all fine. We''re perfectly fi¡­" Felicia''s father began but started coughing up blood once again. Felicia stared at her father in shock, imagining the worst. "Dad?! What happened to you? What''s going on?" She shrieked. "He has been poisoned," Liam answered quietly. Felicia and her father turned to Liam, while he took a step closer. Meanwhile, Olivia and the others stepped inside the dojo as well and took a look at the situation around them. "Keep your voice low, otherwise, being poisoned will be the least of your worries here," He added, looking at Felicia''s desperate and dispirited face. Felicia pressed her lips together in response and nodded her head weakly. On the other hand, her father stared at Liam, one of his hands smeared with the blood he had coughed up, while his other hand was slowly reaching for the butcher knife on the ground. "You don''t need to pick up that ything. Killing me with a butcher knife is like trying to kill an elephant with a toothpick." The bulky man froze in his tracks while Liam ignored the vignce in the eyes of Felicia''s father. "I am just here because of your daughter, nothing more or less. I don''t enjoy killing weaklings. Entertaining fights are more¡­entertaining." Liam''s voice was not cold anymore, but he spoke in a nonchnt way that made it seem as if Felicia''s father was not worth killing, almost as if it would be a waste of time trying to kill him. Felicia''s father gritted his teeth and he was just about to move forward and pull his daughter behind him when he saw the expression on her face. There was not a trace of fear in her gaze as she looked at the white devil. In fact, there was respect, gratefulness, and a trace of¡­warmth in her gaze. ''What the hell happened?!'' Chapter 128 Liam And The Boy Unexpectedly, the Dojo had a secret basement. It was filled with preservable food and its foundation was extremely sturdy. Apparently, Felicia''s mother had bought the fencing dojo like this, along with the underground shelter. Felicia''s mother didn''t think too much about it, but she refreshed the highly preservable food once or twice, just for the extremely low possibility that it might go bad. It was almost as if her female instincts had kicked in as she had even prepared a few other misceneous items, which was also how a total of 15 people ended up in the underground shelter and managed to survive for thest two weeks. "Using preservable food is definitely better, and cheaper than using Arcanium. But hiding is not really a solution either. The underground shelter will turn into ruins the moment a 1st Circle Monster attacks." Liam mumbled while knocking lightly against the shelter walls. He gave a shrug and kept ignoring the weapons that were pointed at him and the frightened gazes that were trained on him. Olivia, Jennie, and even Hellen and Derek kept close to Liam to make sure that nobody would be stupid enough to attack him. This was not for the sake of Liam''s safety, but for the survivors who might face his wrath if he got angry and started killing everyone. It didn''t take long before Liam finished assessing the situation. Felicia''s parents gathered as many people as they could find to seek protection in the underground shelter. They hadn''t been able to find Felicia but weren''t able to rush out before hordes of monsters charged into the city. The fencing dojo and the school Felicia attended were too far apart to take a casual stroll outside. Nheless, they would step outside the underground shelter every now and then to assess the situation. They had been extremely worried, which could be seen clearly based on the way both Felicia''s mother and father clung to her right now. Liam was not too sure what to think about that but he mostly ignored it. ''They''re all weak.'' "Were all of you scratched by the monsters outside?" He thus asked, getting a little bit suspicious of the situation. Everyone''s head flicked to him in response to the question he asked. It was the first time Liam had asked someone a question since he had entered the underground shelter. Thus, the others were a little surprised at first. Their fear was apparent as well, but that was not something Liam could change. Seeing that nobody answered his question, he let out a deep sigh and scratched the back of his head. "Why is this always so difficult? Violence is so much easier¡­" Heined quietly to himself. Liam figured that violence was better than uttering nonsense with a thousand words. He was not very good atmunicating with others and he would rather use his ws than open his mouth. However, he had given some effort in thest two weeks to speak a little rather than killing everyone. Liam was in need of information, and people with good Soultrait. That way, he could be stronger at a much faster pace. This was something worth changing for, because it allowed him to get a step closer to his revenge. Oliva smiled wryly hearing what Liam had said before she responded, "Communication is the key, you know." "Communication¡­I don''t like it." Liam''s Soultrait was activated and he noticed something. At first, he noticed that all of the 15 residents of the underground shelter showed the same symptoms of having been poisoned. That was why Liam first thought that all of them had been scratched or bitten by the monsters whose corpses he found outside. However, there was one thing that didn''t really make sense; none of the 15 people in the underground shelter seemed to have sustained any injuries. That was what it looked like, at first. But he took note of a child that was hiding behind his mother. The little boy didn''t dare to stand firmly on both feet. He leaned heavily on one side while relieving the other side. This was a subconscious action that the young boy might not even have noticed until now. "Step way." Liam stared at the young boy and he took a step forward. The mother of the boy was in his way, her entire body trembling involuntarily as she pointed arge kitchen knife at him. "You don''t want to listen?" Liam asked, his intense purple eyes staring into the depth of the young woman''s eyes, reaching her soul. She froze in her tracks, while Liam grasped therge kitchen knife with his bare hand. Using a bit of force, he tightened his hold on the kitchen knife that began to crack before it shattered, dozens of metal fragments falling onto the ground with a loud clinking noise. The woman was about to move when Liam pushed her lightly aside as he squatted down to the ground. He ignored the other people around him and took a look at the young boy. "Your left leg hurts and it itches a lot, doesn''t it?" Liam asked while ruffling through the silky hair of the young boy. The boy stared at Liam, suddenly unsure whether he should be afraid or not. Subconsciously his hand reached out toward the ck horn that was jutting out of his forehead. "Woahhhh!!" The little boy eximed, touching the horn with both of his tiny hands. Liam was a little astonished about that but he just smiled. Children were the most innocent existences in the universe, except Devil children. They were pieces of shit, of course. However, Liam couldn''t even do something against Devil''s children. After all, he wanted to be as lowly as the people he loathed to the core. "If you touch my horn, I will take a look at your leg," Liam warned before tearing apart the right leg of the boy''s pants. The mother screamed out at the top of her lungs as she lost it, just for a badly reeking stench to fill the air all of a sudden. "It''s a highly contagious poison," He mumbled his conclusion out loud as he looked at the leg and the veins that had turned a poisonous shade of green. Liam was not aware of the type of poison that spread through their body, but everyone seemed shocked about the injury on the boy''s leg. Even the mother didn''t seem to have taken note of it. She ignored Liam and shot down to the ground to take a look at her little boy. "My baby, what''s wrong with you? Why didn''t you tell me that you''re hurt?!" The woman asked worriedly. The corners of Liam''s eye twitched when the woman next to him screamed. Her voice rang through his ears, causing him to feel like getting rid of her. However, it was at this moment that Felicia arrived next to him. She tugged his arm and looked at him pitifully. "You can help him¡­" She said only to stop midway "...right, Liam?" ''Ay¡­Shit¡­'' ** If you want to support me use your golden tickets and powerstones. You can also visit my pa treon: Pa treon/HideousGrain More character images and nice chats about the HideVerse: https://discord.gg/EdsDgFVWwZ Link also in my description. Do you like it? Leave a review and add it to the library! Chapter 129 Sliver Of Trust Liam looked at the boy''s badly poisoned leg and frowned. "I don''t even know what kind of poison this is. I just know that the poison is highly contagious and that cutting off his leg won''t flush it out of his system. Everyst trace of poison has to be extracted from everyone here, otherwise, it will spread again. In a few days, everyone will be dead," He exined everything he knew before adding, "By now, we''re probably infected as well." He sighed once again and shook his head, regretting their decision toe to the dojo. Dealing with poison was always a little annoying. Liam''s knowledge of the types of poison was limited and he was not an expert. In fact, he was pretty sure that he was far from possibly being considered an expert when it came to poison. When Felicia heard what he said, and saw the frustration on his face, she swallowed hard. She took a step closer to him, but her legs caved in all of a sudden. She slumped to the ground and couldn''t muster the strength to get up. Somehow, she felt extremely tired all of a sudden. Felicia had just reunited with her family, and now all of them were about to die. That¡­couldn''t be true! Liam saw her helpless expression and ruffled her hair with a forced smile. Felicia was not usually that dense or emotionally viable. "I swear¡­why am I so good at picking up messy people?" He asked himself loudly, attracting the attention of the others. Everyone was getting increasingly nervous and the desperation in their eyes could be seen clearly. It was not as if they wanted to believe Liam, or that they trusted his words, however, it was a matter of fact that only the little kid had been scratched and that everyone had gotten sick after the monster attack. Liam''s words may be unpleasant just like his appearance as a member of a foreign race, and his bad attitude, but it didn''t seem as if he was lying right now. It was possible to reach the same conclusion as Liam if one was not delusional. "Use your brain, or at least your Soultrait to figure out what kind of poison they''ve been inflicted with." He lifted his hand from her head and flicked a finger against her forehead. This yful act was totally different to how Liam usually reacted. He was not really sure what he was doing either. Going with the flow and pointing out some things to help Felicia improve would definitely be helpful in the long run. But even then, he was not too sure how to guide someone else. He had never received guidance, not from good people at least. The torture he had to endure in order to be stronger under the ''guidance'' of his ''teachers'' was certainly not something he would like to share with others. In fact, Liam would rather help Olivia, Jennie, and Felicia with normal means. They had been willing to attack and kill a fellow native human for his sake. When Max, the young martial artist, attacked Liam, they jumped in front of him and had been ready to protect him and kill Max if that was necessary. They didn''t even hesitate when jumping into action and had decided to shield him. That made Liam trust them a little. That was necessary, either way. If he wanted others to trust him, he had to trust them first. ''Trust¡­how long has it been that I trusted someone? Forget about trust, I didn''t even feelfortable near other people¡­'' Liam had been a lone wolf in the past. His past experiences taught him that one could only rely on oneself and that others always had a hidden scheme. He lost his trust in others, and thus thefort of letting himself loose, and feeling as if he belonged somewhere. However, with the group that had formed around him during thest two weeks, Liam actually felt a littlefortable. That was not something he had nned to do when he thought of taking revenge. His mind went astray and he fondly recalled his only loyal friends and his lover¡­ He recalled the tender smile she always gave him, the love in her eyes, and the way she had clung to him even though he had always tried to reject her before they finally became a couple. Their rtionship had been a rollercoaster, but it had been fun, and the first time in Liam''s life that he had been happy for a longer time. Sadly, his mother, and the rest of his treacherous family members took away his happiness. They made him feel like he would never be able to befortable anywhere in the Nine Realms, and that he would never believe in the concept of happiness again. But that didn''t seem to have worked out as well as expected. He was not in any of the Nine Realms anymore but on Haltan. The group he created made him feel a little bit morefortable and they made him forget that his life had only been filled with war, death, and betrayals. "Use my brain? Soultrait? Do you want me to use my Soultrait to find out what type of poison we''ve been infected with?" Felicia asked, tilting her head while Liam''s mind went nk. Thinking about the past made him freeze in his tracks. He was not really sure what made him recall his lover and the only real friends had. It made him a little ufortable to think about them because it was his fault that they were dead. If they had never gotten to know him, they would probably still be alive. "You can also ask what Antidote we need to cleanse our body and get rid of the poison. It shouldn''t be too much of an issue to purchase the antidote from the Arcane Shop, or some of the Elven''s shops!" Olivia said, the worry in her eyes dispersing. Meanwhile, Felicia shrieked upon hearing Olivia as relief spread through her entire being. "We¡­don''t have to die¡­" She mumbled, while Liam just looked at her with a small smile on his lips. "Of course, we don''t have to die, idiot." Chapter 130 Poison "This has to be a big joke! Why would the antidote for the Phasma Decur Poison cost 1000 Arcanium?!" Felicia shouted loudly before starting to curse the Arcane Shop''s greediness. She was still a bit agitated and reeling from the effects of the rapid change of events of thest hour, and felt like she had been riding on a rollercoaster the whole time. "The System really wants us to sell our kidneys for a mere antidote¡­" Derek mumbled while scratching the back of his head. He was already having a hard time considering whether he should use the Arcane System''s loaning system to loan 50,000 Arcanium with an interest rate of 12% per year. His Soul would be the coteral and he would have to pay 500 Arcanium every month. He really couldn''t afford to pay 1000 Arcanium to buy an antidote. "It looks like the mutation of the animals in the sewers is quiteplex, and so is their poison. I would have never expected ordinary animals to be able to mutate to such an extreme degree in less than two weeks after the gates to the Nine Realms opened. The Arcane Power shouldn''t be strong eno¨C....wait¡­we''re in the northern part of the city''s outskirts right now, right?" Liam had been deep in thought and focused on the Phasma Decur Poison, one of the strongest Circleless poisons when a thought urred to him. It was highly contagious and lethal enough to eradicate entire races as it spread through the air. A single breath taken near an infected was enough for the Phasma Decur Poison to enter the immune system and start wreaking havoc in the following days. That was also why the Phasma Decur Poison was considered the most dangerous Circleless poison. Even weaker beings with one Arcane Circle were not able to survive the deadly effects of the poison. Thus, while being focused on the poison and the danger they encountered, Liam forgot their current position and the massive and detailed amount of information at his disposal. He knew everything about the J Valley and the surrounding regions. This included where the sewers were located, what kind of monsters called it their home, and what could have caused this extreme case of mutation. "That''s roughly correct. Though the dojo is considered to be in the central region of Stura, it''s actually at the border of the northern outskirts. The infrastructure of Stura is a little confusing. Maybe this will change once the city will be rebuilt¡­well, if that were to happen in the future, I mean," A middle-aged woman with nice facial features said. She was quite beautiful and had a great figure that only paled a little inparison to her daughter''s figure. The middle-aged woman was Felicia''s Mother, Tiana Jaul, and she was quiteposed when faced with Liam''s intense stare. She didn''t seem to have a problem maintaining eye contact with him, which was quite a rare sight ever since his Devil''s Eyes Soultrait awoke. Most people were rather ufortable being subjected to the intense gaze of his royal purple eyes. That had already been the case in the past, but it was only stronger now that his Soultrait altered his eyes passively and actively. "Extracting the Phasma Decur Poison, every bit of it at that, will not be easy. The antidote is quite important to procure. Without it, we cannot create temporary immunity against the Phasma Decur Poison, forget about permanent immunity. We need 20 doses of the antidote to get rid of the poison, so we either try to fetch 20,000 Arcanium, or the situation will turn a little bit more annoying," Liam exined before he fell deep in thoughts again. A few seconds passed before Felicia''s father pointed out something the others were also wondering. However, they were not sure how to point out the mistake Liam made. "Aren''t we 21 people though? I mean, our group consists of 15 people and you guys are six. Or is your rac¡­is your kind immune to the Phasma Decur Poison?" Felicia''s father was not sure how to converse with Liam, fearing that even a single wrong word would make Liam throw a fit of rage. Not that it mattered what Felicia''s father thought, Liam was certainly a member of a foreign race, but he had a slight resemnce to humans. He was not too sure if a Soultrait could cause the growth of a ck horn, or the alteration of the eye color, however, he knew that Liam''s attitude and actions were foreign to a native from Haltan. There was no way that Liam was a native, so saying that he came from a different race was fine¡­right? While Felicia''s father was having a hard time questioning himself what Liam''s rtionship with his daughter was, what kind of race he belonged to, what Liam''s ns were, and if he nned to sacrifice them for some sort of Infernal Ritual, or as a tribute to the God of the Devils, if something like that existed, in the first ce. "Oh, I was already infected by it. I''m fully immune to the Phasma Decur Poison. I don''t need the antidote. My mother infected me with the Phasma Decur Poison, elerated the progress, and dumped me into the capital of her opponents¡­.let''s just say that it was not a nice experience for everyone. "Your¡­mother infected you¡­and she threw¡ª..." Tiana summarized, just for her to feel Felicia''s reaching out for her mother''s arm. Tiana stopped and looked at her daughter, who was slowly shaking her head. ''Hm? Why is my daughter looking so sad right now? I won''t bite Liam, don''t worry!'' Tiana looked at her daughter with a raised eyebrow. Felicia''s expression was a little sour upon hearing what Liam had said and a trace of sadness filled her eyes. "If you''re immune, why are you even helping us? What will you gain from helping us?" A middle-aged man suddenly asked, waving a dagger in front of him. He stared at Liam in anger and was evidently suspicious about his actions. For him, Liam and all other invaders were exactly the same bloodthirsty killers. But that was not really something Liam cared about. In fact, he was not really different from the invaders. "I don''t really give a shit about you. However, to make sure that there are no problems, everyone has to be healed. I just care about my people, you can just die. That way, we don''t need to buy 20 antidotes but only 19." Chapter 131 Formula "What are we supposed to do now? Do you want us to take a loan from the System, or is there another way to extract every bit of the poison?" Hellen asked. Hellen Wagner was a young woman in her early 20s. She was not a beauty like Olivia and Felicia, but her appearance was certainly above average. That was also what caused quite some problems after the Arcane Apocalypse started. Hellen didn''t want to recall most things that had urred over the course of two weeks, but she clearly got to know that strength was everything that mattered in the end. If she was too weak, it would only be a matter of time before someone would take her by force. Hellen escaped the grasp of some men without sustaining any injuries, but there were a few encounters that forced her to rely on others to survive. She hated the feeling of being dependent and forced to rely on others. This feeling grew even stronger as the Silverheart Dwarves killed all men before they knocked out most women to take them back to the Cavern Vige. Fortunately, Liam had arrived just in time to save them. In fact, Liam had not rushed to their rescue, but to kill the Silverheart Dwarves. He didn''t show any interest in them and he would have abandoned them if not for Olivia. Even though Liam''s action could be considered somewhat unpleasant, it was still an event that had been imprinted deep upon her heart. She was short, not really strong and her Soultrait [Dismantling and Assimtion] was not exactly something that could be considered helpful inbat. Because Liam was ready to abandon them, Hellen realized that he had no interest in them. He treated his people well and hated those who were useless. This was specifically why Hellen felt drawn to him. Olivia, Felicia, and Jennie were much more beautiful than she was. They were also clearly interested in Liam, in some way, at least. Thus, there was no need for her to worry that Liam would force himself upon her. This gave her the opportunity to be stronger while having a supporting pir to rely on. Hellen didn''t want to exploit Liam, but she wanted to seek his advice and guidance. That way, she would be able to fend for herself and help others as much as she had received help. As for the use of her Soultrait, Hellen learned onlyter that Liam regarded it very highly. Even if it was of no use in actualbat, being able to dismantle traps, acquire knowledge of the traps that had been dismantled, and assimte them once again was definitely helpful! While others, including Hellen, felt that the Soultrait wasckluster, Liam was actually excited to learn how powerful her Soultrait would be oncebined with Jennie''s Soultrait. Hellen would be able to help raid ancient ruins and other structures as well as create a secure environment wherever they would decide to sleep. After all, she could swiftly assimte traps as long as she was given the necessary resources! Derek broke into a sweat when he heard that Hellen mentioned taking a loan. He was not looking forward to taking a loan since he was actually considering using his Soul as Coteral to loan 50,000 Arcanium. That was how desperate Derek was to regrow his arm! Liam just shrugged, his head flicking to Felicia. "Ask for the form of the antidote and we should be fine," He said in a calming tone. The tension in the room seemed to cool down thanks to Liam''s calm demeanor, but Felicia could only look at him with a trace of confusion. She was still reeling from the effects of the rollercoaster of emotions she had felt for thest hour, in addition to Liam''s heartbreaking story. For the first time, Felicia felt like twisting the neck of a woman who did something unforgivable to her son. No matter what might have happened between them, a mother should never do what Liam''s mother did to him. "The form? What do you want to do with that? Do you n on finding someone who can concoct the antidote? Can we even find someone like this in the next few days?" She thus asked, unable to understand what Liam was hinting at. Liam raised his eyebrow when he saw how cute Felicia behaved all of a sudden as he answered, "I will concoct it." Olivia, Felicia and Jennie were a little surprised about Liam''s sudden revtion as an Alchemist, but they sighed in relief. They had been a little tense from the moment they found out that the Phasma Decur Poison was not a matter that could be taken lightly. Thus, it was reassuring to hear that Liam could solve their problems. Hellen and Derek were also relieved, not doubting Liam''s words at all, while the exact opposite was the case for most of the others. They frowned at Liam and expected some sort of scheme, to the extent that some of them even began to doubt that he was the real culprit who spread the poison in their underground shelter. Reassured that Liam could solve the predicament, Felicia used her Soultrait to find out more about the poison in question. The form was not something she couldprehend with her nonexistent knowledge as an Alchemist, but that was not further problematic. She forwarded the information she had received, and Liam nodded his head in understanding. "Your Soultrait is actually much more useful than expected. We should make use of it more often," Liam pointed out before he diverted his attention. "I will go to the sewers and get hold of a few fresh monster carcasses. You guys can eithere with me or stay behind. Don''t die." He said, which caused some of them to look at him a little confused. They didn''t expect Liam to be so warm and caring all of a sudden. "The potency of the Phasma Decur Poison is much higher with dead bodies around, and it will be a hassle to cure everyone." Nevermind. Chapter 132 Monster Spawn Liam left the underground shelter with his old team. Nobody wanted to stay behind as they felt that something big was about to happen. They noticed that Liam anticipated something, which usually meant that there was a great opportunity awaiting them as well. Nobody wanted to miss out on an opportunity that excited even Liam. It could only mean that their strength would increase drastically! "While extracting the blood and collecting the nds of the monsters previously mentioned, we will have to pay attention to the nts in the sewers. It shouldn''t be surprising but there is a Monster Spawn in the Sewers. The Monster Spawn radiates the poisonous Arcane Power of the Monsters which the Spawn creates. That is also part of the reason why the mutated animals in the sewers have such a unique mutation. One could even say that they have evolved into higher lifeforms due to the same reason. I will remove the Monster Spawn with the Livral Orb, and we will have to collect a bunch of herbs as well. So pay attention!" Nobody really knew what a Monster Spawn was but they learned about it soon enough. A Monster Spawn created monsters by devouring the lifeforms in its surrounding. While it sounded grotesque at first, it was an extremely interesting process that allowed monsters to be much stronger. That way, ordinary animals evolved into monsters with abat prowess that rivaled that of the Canine Shedim. In fact, Liam was pretty sure that the monsters might even be stronger than the Canine Shedim! Carefully pacing through the city, they soon reached the entrance of the underground sewers. Their footsteps echoed in the dark, damp alleyway, causing the girls to stiffen. They took a deep breath, ignoring the musty smell that filled their nostrils, mixed with the stench of the sewage, as they descended the old stone steps leading them underground. There were not many sources of light, if one excluded the lightbulbs in the sewers. Most lightbulbs had already burst, and some flickered weakly, leaving dots of utter darkness in between the barely illuminated areas of the sewers'' tunnels. Liam didn''t have much of a problem with traveling through the darkness. The passive attribute of his Devil''s Eyes Soultrait allowed Liam to see in the dark. Flickering shadows could be seen in the poorly illuminated sewer tunnels, but Liam mostly ignored them. He told the others to purchase Nightvision sses that were empowered through Arcane Power. The sses were not really expensive, but that also came with a restriction. Arcane Power had to be constantly channeled into the sses, even though their effect was not extremely good. The nightvision allowed the wearer to only see in a range of fewer than 20 meters. But that was more than enough. As they entered the sewers, the team was greeted by a maze of tunnels and pipes, stretching out in every direction. The walls were slick with slime and moss, while the sound of dripping water echoed throughout the tunnels, creating an eerie atmosphere that caused everyone''s hair to stand up to its end. Liam ignored the eerie atmosphere and made his way deeper into the sewers. The air grew staler and the space became narrower. It was still not too narrow for three people to walk next to each other, but it was only a matter of time before this would change as well. Liam made use of the information he had received from the Memory Crystal as he led the group through the maze of the underground sewers. The smell of murky water filled his nostrils but it was bearable. However, that was still fine until he smelled and felt something at the same time that caused his expression to change quickly. Debris blocked the path in front of them, but Liam ignored this by squeezing through tight spaces to find his way to the intersection thaty behind the debris. The tunnels seemed endless and it was difficult to tell where they were headed. However, Liam made use of rusty metal gates and asionaldders that seemed to lead to the surface as signs to find the intersection in front of them. Arge mass of green liquid was hovering in the air of the intersection''s center. It radiated a great sense of danger and glowed brightly enough to illuminate the entire intersection. "The Spawn of the Ancient Vermin Draklings. To think that I would actually find an opportunity to get you in my hands...or rather your energy!" Liam mumbled with a greedy smile on his face. The green liquid was the most poisonous existence that Liam had ever encountered in the past. Not even beings with four Ancient Circles would dare to touch it without precautions. It was a creation of his mother''s acquaintance, and it showed just how important the J Valley was to many races and higher existences. The Spawn of the Ancient Vermin Draklings was even more valuable than the Rift leading to the Shedim''s Kingdom. Liam knew that it would help him increase his strength rapidly as long as he used the Livral Orb to turn the Spawn of the Vermin Draklings to Arcane Power. "Is that why you were so excited toe down here?" Olivia asked, not too sure what to think about the green liquid that levitated in the center of the intersection. It was less than 50 meters away from them, and Olivia couldn''t help but feel a little bit afraid. It was unusual for her to feel afraid of something that was not even alive. Even the Shedim''s Rift hadn''t been able to scare her. Did she feel an oppressive presence in the Shedim''s Rift? Yes. Was she afraid of the Rift? Not really. However, even though Liam was by their side, she couldn''t help but feel a little afraid about the Spawn of the Ancient Vermin Draklings. She really didn''t want to get closer to it. "Excited? I was?" Liam asked a little astonished. The others nodded their heads without diverting their eyes from the Spawn of the Ancient Vermin Draklings. ''I was excited? Well, the Spawn is definitely something worth being excited about!'' "There is more than just the Spawn to be excited about!" Chapter 133 Ancient Vermin Drakling The area around the Spawn of the Ancient Vermin Draklings was filled with herbs. There was only one type of herb but the quantity was quite a lot. The leaves of the herb were dark green in color and it had unique ''veins'' spreading through them. The veins were purple in color and they glowed lightly. Liam recalled what kind of herb the Spawn of the Ancient Vermin Draklings had created and he was quite surprised by what he saw. ''I wonder what is more valuable, the Kikal Stalks, or the Spawn.'' The Kikal Stalks had been created by the Spawn of the Ancient Vermin Draklings. At least, that was what Liam presumed because the Kikal Stalks surrounded the Spawn. Either way, the Kikal Stalks were an extraordinary and extremely rare type of nt that increased one''s strength permanently. While that was exceptional, one would have to ovee an extremely painful poisoned state that was likely to kill the person who ate it. Dying due to the effects of the poison was not aughing matter even for those who were fine with being thrown into deadly situations. The survival rate of the beings that ate the Kikal Stalks was less than 1%! However, oveing the poisoned state would result in a great increase in one''s strength, an expansion of the Arcane Power that can be stored in the body, and so on. Nheless, strength was not everything since it was only useful as long as one was alive. That was also why the Kikal Stalk was usually used as an ingredient for rare antidotes. Though Liam didn''t need it for the antidote of the Phasma Decur Poison, he was actually willing to eat the Kikal Stalks. It was about time that he increased his strength, even if at the risk of facing death. It was a fair gamble that would reward him either with death or with tremendous strength. "The Kikal Stalks over there increase your strength permanently if you survive eating them," Liam told the others while taking a few steps forward. He was about to retrieve the Livral Orb when he halted in his tracks. "What do you mean, ''if you survive''?" Derek asked stupidly enough. His mind seemed to short-circuit from the pressure and fear the Spawn of the Ancient Vermin Drakling exerted upon them. "Well, with lots of paines great power, or so I was told," Liam answered nonchntly as he scanned the herbs. They totaled more than a hundred, which was more than enough for him to create several tonics. Their potency would increase drastically as he would use water infused withpressed Arcane Power and other ingredients to create the tonic. That way, his stats should increase by leaps and bounds. As for the chance of his survival, his Vitality stat was S-Rank, so there shouldn''t be much of a problem with that...not more of a problem than it would be initially, at least. Because Liam was distracted by the pleasant find he made with the information of the Memory Crystal, he didn''t even notice that they had yet to encounter any kind of mutated animal, forget about monsters. The others had already taken note of this, but they had been in the belief that Liam had knowingly led them through the maze of tunnels and pipes to avoid all monsters until now. That was not the case, and they were all slightly astonished about their stroke of luck when they suddenly heard a low growl, followed by the sound of ws scraping against concrete. While the others readied their weapons, Liam was still staring at the Spawn of the Ancient Vermin Draklings. "Liam?!" They all screamed in unison, pulling the Halfling out of the daze he was in. It was just a momentter, that a mutated rat-like creature emerged from the shadows of the sewer''s intersection. The creature''s fur was matted and its eyes glowed in an unnaturally bright red color. Its ws were long and razor-sharp, and its blood seemed to glow through the matted fur in a sickly green light. Everyone quickly realized that this creature was different from any they had encountered before. However, Liam was not too worried. He charged forward, his ws at the ready, his Devil''s Eyes Soultrait activated and the Arcane Kunai also prepared. The rat didn''t charge at him immediately. It looked at the Spawn of the Ancient Vermin Drakling for a second before its head turned back to him. A momentter, it spat a glob of acid at him. Liam narrowly evaded the corrosive acid that sizzled loudly as it hit the ground. He intentionally didn''t evade the attack with a big movement because he wanted to check something but it looked like the monster mutated from the Spawn of the Ancient Vermin Drakling didn''t want to give him the opportunity. The others behind Liam quickly spread out, attempting to surround the rat and avoid its acidic attacks at the same time. But they quickly noticed that the rat was not only able to release acid through its mouth but that its entire body was acidic. The rat was extremely fast as well, posing a big threat to everyone daring enough to get too close. The rat was even faster than Liam, who continued to evade its attacks. It shot past him and swished its tail at him, releasing acid through its pores at the same time. Liam''s pupils dted and he released the Arcane Kunai, cutting through the tail without feeling any resistance. The rat squeaked in pain, but nobody paid any attention to it. The others stared at Liam, and their eyes widened in horror. Even the blood of the rat was highly corrosive, burning Liam''s skin as it sttered on his face. For a moment, they were too overwhelmed to understand what they should do. They panicked, imagining the worst possible scenario, and nked out. Meanwhile, Liam ignored the painpletely. His skin was being scorched and burned, but that was nothing noteworthy. He had already endured worse. Because he didn''t care too much about the pain, he had no qualms about piercing his ws deep into their flesh, even if that meant his ws would be exposed to their corrosive blood. [Vermin Rat has been yed.] [+0.9 Arcanium] Chapter 134 Collector ? The fight had been quite intense with the Vermin Rat''s high agility and unique properties. Even killing it was not without danger. A single scratch of the Vermin Rat would have been enough to poison and kill Liam and the others. That was why the others were wary of attacking it, fearing its highly lethal poison. Liam''s ws ached quite a bit as he washed off the blood of the Vermin rat in the sewers'' water. It was not the best solution, but it certainly helped him in getting rid of the burning corrosive blood of the Vermin rat. Once his ws were somewhat clean, he purchased some water to thoroughly clean them properly this time. The Kikal Stalks shouldn''t get damaged bying in contact with the water of the sewers. That would be the worst that could happen! "Liam! Are you fine?!" The others rushed to him when they saw what had happened. Seeing the burned skin all over his ws and the blotched patches of scorched flesh on his face, shivers ran down their spines. They stared nkly at Liam who nodded his head. "This is nothing." ''...Nothing? Does this really look like nothing to you?!'' They wondered, but nobody said anything. They looked at Liam, who released his Arcane Power to shroud the Vermin Rat''s carcass. He stored the carcass in the Storage Rune and turned around to them. "Let''s collect the Kikal Stalks and devour the Spawn of Ancient Vermin Draklings first. We also need a few more monster carcasses, but that shouldn''t be a problem." Liam retrieved the Livral Orb. He essed it and targeted the Spawn of Ancient Vermin Draklings without a second thought. Huge fangs, glistening in a bright white color manifested on the ground around the Spawn in the next few seconds. Once hundreds of huge fangs manifested, a huge maw snapped out of the ground, devouring the levitating liquid mass. [The Livral Orb devoured the Spawn of the Ancient Vermin Draklings] [Digesting the Spawn requires 100 hours. The produced Arcane Power will be stored in the Livral Orb''s storage, and can then be used, or sold at will!] ''100 hours? That''s longer than expected.'' Liam believed that the Livral Orb''s digestion was a constant process that couldn''t be elerated or decelerated. Thus, the time limit of 100 hours indicated that the Spawn of the Ancient Vermin Draklings was either four times moreplicated to digest, or that the amount of Arcane Power produced from the digestion would be more than four times higher than what he had obtained from the Lesser Rift of the Shedim. The corners of his lips twitched as he stepped closer to the center of the intersection. He retrieved the Chain of Miniature tools and retrieved a particr tool. It looks a little weird but it was a small hand shovel with sharp edges and fork-like metal branched at the tip. No matter which type of nt he wanted to collect, this tool was everything he needed. Liam didn''t want to damage the Kikal Stalk for the time being. Creating the Kikal Tonic with Kikal Stalks of the best quality would logically result in a tonic with higher potency. Others might not bother about this because a lower potency meant that the survivability upon eating the Kikal Stalk would increase drastically. However, Liam was far from normal. He bent down the moment he reached the small field of Kikal Stalks. "You guys pay attention to the surroundings. Don''t let any monster bite you, otherwise, you''re dead meat in ten seconds, or even less." Liam''s warning caused the others to stiffen, but it was not as if they hadn''t noticed how dangerous the monsters in the sewers had been. The fact that Liam, with a Vitality stat at [S], sustained serious burns from the Vermin Rat''s blood was already more than enough to understand how dangerous their current situation was. Everyone carefully channeled Arcane Power into their nightvision sses, while vigntly observing the other tunnels. The eerie atmosphere and the reeking stench of the underground sewer didn''t really make things easier for everyone, but they were faring much better than Liam had expected. He was actually pretty sure that some of them wouldn''t be able to endure the pressure in the dark and eerie underground. At least, after they encountered the Vermin Rat, some of them should have panicked a little. However, contrary to his expectations, even Jennie was doing pretty well. In less than 20 minutes the entire field of Kikal Stalks had been collected and stored inside the Storage Rune. "Let''s hunt a few monsters before we leave this ce." Now that he was done, his mood was much better. Ready to kill a few more Vermin Rats and other monsters from the sewers, he walked into one of the tunnels. The others lost sight of him once he went past the 20 meters threshold they could see in the dark. They were startled and swiftly followed him. It didn''t take long before they caught up to Liam. He had halted in his tracks and pointed in front of them. "There are five more Vermin Rats. They''re feasting on a corpse. Close your eyes for a moment." Liam retrieved the Arcane Kunai and several Lumina Needles. The Arcane Kunai flew quietly through the air. At the same time, he channeled Arcane Power inside one of the Lumina Needles while quietly inching closer to the five Vermin Rats. Once he was close enough to throw the Lumina Needles above them, he did exactly that. The Lumina Needles began to shine in a dazzling light that spread across the entire tunnel and illuminated it. The Vermin Rats hadn''t expected the dazzling light and they looked straight into it, blinding them for several seconds. Pained squeaks resounded through the tunnel, while Liam dashed forward. The Arcane Kunai elerated as well, piercing through the weak defenses of the Vermin Rats before they could even react. Moving ording to his Will, the Arcane Kunai moved zig-zag, piercing through each of the Vermin Rat''s necks, leaving no leeway. ''I should really upgrade the Arcane Kunai soon. This Relic is too powerful to be left at such a low rank!'' Chapter 135 Guilt? Affection? ? With his standard tactic, it was quite easy to kill three dozen monsters in the underground sewers. Most of them were not ustomed to bright lights, which was something Liam had made use of quite easily. They were already on their way back outside when he felt something warm around his right hand. Felicia had appeared on his right side. Her entire focus was on his hand which she gently held with her own. She smeared something on his hand, precisely at the spots that had been burned severely. Felicia was guilt-ridden because it had been her fault. Everything had been her fault. If not for her asking to look for her parents, the others would have never been poisoned, and Liam would have never received such severe burns. She and the others had only killed a few Vermin Rats, and only small droplets of their blood had sttered on the back of their hands since they wielded weapons. However, these droplets of blood on their skin had sizzled through their skin, making them feel the worst pain they had ever endured. That excluded Derek, whose worst pain was the loss of his strong arm. But even for Derek the blood of the Vermin Rats was the second-worst experience of pain. Hence, they couldn''t even fathom the amount of pain Liam must have gone through. It was a disastrous thought that worsened Felicia''s mental state drastically. She had been selfish and always asked Liam for help, just to push him deeper and deeper into dangerous situations. He might have gained something from the Kikal Stalks and the Spawn of the Ancient Vermin Draklings, but that didn''t justify her selfish behavior. Liam was actually not bothered, but that was not something Felicia could think about right now. Her mind was a mess. Felicia spent close to ten minutes searching for the best solution for major burns. The cream she purchased had to be applied to the burns and they would elerate the healing process, possibly even reinvigorate dead cells. In the worst case, he would shed the burned cells of his skin and new cells would form. Felicia didn''t even bother looking at the price of the cream as she purchased it. Her brain was also shut off as she appeared next to him, applying the cream diligently. She rolled up the sleeve of hisbat suit and thoroughly checked his arm to make sure that she wouldn''t miss a single spot. Her action was noticed by everyone. It was unusual for Liam to allow anyone to approach and touch him all of a sudden. The others were pretty sure that Liam didn''t really like physical touches, though they couldn''t be certain about that. Felicia touched Liam''s hands gently. She carefully applied the cream on his burned hands without realizing that they had already reached the gate that led outside the underground sewers. She simply followed Liam and tended to his wounds. Liam didn''t do anything about this. He could tell that she was sorry about the wounds he had sustained and that she wanted to help him. There was no reason to reject her help either. It would cause an unnecessary rift in their rtionship if he were to be guarded against her if she merely wanted to tend to his wounds. However, what startled Liam a little was that Felicia reached out for his head as well. She held his chin affectionately and stared intently at his face, cupping his face with one hand while her other hand gently applied the cream to the burns on his face. Liam froze in his tracks and his Arcane Power began to fluctuate. His Devil''s Eyes were unintentionally triggered as the gaze on her intensified. Felicia was still oblivious to his difort. She was too focused on applying the cream to the burn marks on his face that she was actually d when Liam halted in his tracks. It took her half a minute until she finished tending to all the burn marks on his face with the cream. Only then did she take a step back, while realizing that she was being eyed intently by Liam and everyone else? Jennie covered her face with her hands, leaving only a small gap in between her fingers to see exactly what was going on, while Olivia smiled lightly. Meanwhile, Hellen blushed at the sight that unfolded in front of her. Liam stared intently at Felicia, whose hand was currently still resting on Liam''s face, holding him gently. "Ahhh¡­Sorry¡­I¡­I just¡­." Felicia''s flustered voice reached everybody''s ears. Her ears turned red, just like her burning cheeks. She rushed outside the underground sewers to take deep breaths of fresh air, while avoiding Liam''s gaze as he followed suit. With fast strides, she appeared behind Olivia, whom she used as a protective shield to shield herself from the gazes that were thrown at her. "Weren''t you teasing Jennie not too long ago? Look, who is acting now!!" Olivia teased Felicia. However, just when Olivia was about to add something, she saw Felicia''s gaze. Closing her mouth, Olivia stared at her best friend, feeling a little shocked. ''Seriously?'' Felicia looked at Olivia with round puppy eyes and a red face. No matter how bubbly and hyperactive Felicia was, she never had seen such an expression on her face. Forget about the deadly cute expression on her face, Felicia wasn''t even the kind of person who would randomly touch others. She might be an overthinker, and feel a little bit guilty for the pain her actions caused Liam, but that shouldn''t have been enough for her to react like this. Felicia''s unusual behavior and the expression on her face caused Olivia to feel truly shocked. ''Is Liam really such a yer? No¡­he is not even trying something like that¡­He was also shocked about Felicia''s sudden proactive action¡­'' Olivia thought, sighing heavily as she patted her friend''s back. ''Girl, just what are you doing?!'' ** If you want to support me use your golden tickets and powerstones. You can also visit my pa treon: Pa treon/HideousGrain More character images and nice chats about the HideVerse: https://discord.gg/EdsDgFVWwZ Link also in my description. Do you like it? Leave a review and add it to the library! Chapter 136 Liam, The Alchemist ? The situation was a little awkward until they returned back to the underground shelter. Liam was not really bothered about Felicia''s actions, but he had been a little surprised. It was not normal that someone touched him that freely. However, since Felicia had been too focused on tending to his wounds, Liam shrugged it off. Back in the underground shelter, he was frowned upon. Nobody expected them to return so soon. Felicia reunited with her parents once again while the others began to put aside a few things to give Liam enough space to start brewing the potion. "The Phasma Lavitas Potion is a highly potent potion with mystical effects. It can only be brewed by somewhat experienced Alchemists and Witches. I never brewed this kind of potion, though I created moreplicated potions already. However, my strength is much lower as it had been at that time. That being said, don''t ask any questions, and remain silent until I finished the potion!" Liam exined in a calm andposed manner. He retrieved a few tools from the Keychain of Miniature Tools which he expanded in size. There was a beaker, a tripod, and a few more tools he would need soon. There was no time to waste sitting around idle. The sooner the Phasma Lavitas Potion waspleted, the easier it would be to dispel the poison in the surrounding as well. The creation of the Phasma Lavitas Potion was already enough to do this. The fume and exposed liquid of the Phasma Lavitas Potion would be more than enough to cleanse the air in an area of more than 50 meters. That was enough to cleanse the underground shelter and the dojo. Preparing his working space didn''t take long. After ten minutes he was done. Thus, he could start retrieving the monster carcasses. Liam had to extract the most potent cells within their blood, preferably the cells with the strongest life force. This was not an easy task, but it was something that could be done with Liam''s proficiency. He drained several liters of blood from the Vermin Rats and other monsters they had hunted in the underground sewers before he started the extraction process. With his low amount of Arcane Power, it took a while to extract the blood, but he detached one blood droplet after another from the big buckets he had used as a deposit for the drained blood. Extracting the highly potent blood required half an hour. However, once he was done, a beaker was filled with 300 milliliters. That was more than enough to create a total of 30 Phasma Lavitas Potions. Liam was allowed to make some mistakes that way. Not that he nned to fail, but it was always better to be prepared for the worst. "Each Phasma Lavitas Potion required 10 milliliters of highly potent source-infested blood, 5 grams of moon crystal, 30 milliliters of Arcanale water that has a 7 to 3 ratio of Amnale water to Arcane Power, a few petals of the Gingansen flower, and 3 grams of the herbal mixture ''Sun God''s Majesty''." Liam mumbled silently to himself as he purchased the goods. He bought only twenty sets of each, though he was ready to buy ten more sets. He was fortunate to have enough Arcanium to spare. Once all ingredients had been prepared ordingly, Liam started the brewing process of the Phasma Lavitas Potion. The first step in making the potion was to grind four grams of moon crystal and the petals of the Gingansen flower together in a mortar until they form a fine powder. Liam finished this quickly before he added the ten milliliters of highly potent source-infested blood to the mixture before he began to stir it well. The highly potent source-infested blood acted as a binding ingredient in the potion. It would also be extremely sour once finished. Of course, the unique properties of the blood would slowly be altered once the other ingredients were added. Liam stirred the mixture until a sour smell reached him. It cleansed his nostrils and caused a strong itch. That was when Liam added the herbal mixture, Sun God''s Majesty, into the mortar. The herbal mixture ''Sun God''s Majesty'' was a creation of the Dragoon Empire that worshipped the Sun God. The Dragoon Empire had a Dragon God, who reigned the entire Empire since millennials, but even the Dragon God was said to be worshipping the Sun God. That was a little weird, but it was not directly rted to the herbal mixture. At the end of the day, it was only important to know that the Blessing of the Sun God was said to be in the herbal mixture ''Sun God''s Majesty'', as well as the Dragon''s Authority. That was also why the herbs in the mixture were so unique that nobody could replicate them. It was also the reason why the Sun God''s Majesty''s herbal mixture was the most expensive among the ingredients he had to purchase for the Phasma Lavitas Potion. The mixture was first diluted with five milliliters of Arcanale Water, and heated up in a test tube until the desired reaction would ur. The Sun God''s Majesty''s herbal mixture expands, turning into a sponge. The Arcanale Water would disappear inside the herbal mixture which Liam put in a different mortar once he saw that the ''sponge'' turned green. He crushed the sponged, extracting the essence with all its nutritions and magical properties that had been umted in the sponge. The essence was put in the other mortar, and add thest gram of the moon crystal into the mixture. The Moon crystal was believed to have a powerful connection to each of the Ten Great Realms since ancient times. There was only one moon in each of the Realms, but nobody could reach it. Oddly enough, the moon that ought to be eerily close seemed to never get closer, no matter how long one traveled in a straight line into the sky. Finally, once everything waspleted and the ingredients would slowly mend together, Liam had to wait for the perfect moment to add the remaining Arcanale Water into a round-bottomed sk which would be heated up to 40 degrees before the mixture in the mortar would be added to it. After all, the ingredients had been added to the sk, Liam stirred the mixture well and let it simmer for a few minutes over a low me. As the potion simmers, the ingredients started to react with one another, and the mixture began to glow in a faint reddish-green light. The final product was green in color and it smelled sour. Everyone in the room frowned a bit, except Liam who was fully aware of what happened. Once the potion was ready, he poured it into a vial and corked it tightly. The Phasma Lavitas Potion was now ready to use! When drinking the potion, one would feel a sense of disgust and incredible sourness for a few seconds, before one would be cleansed thoroughly. It was also possible to experience a heightened sense of awareness and may even have vivid dreams. Thetter was something that was often used by Subusses and other Demons who wanted to infiltrate the dreams of their opponents, breaking their will from within. Of course, that was also why one had to be extremely cautious. The potion was highly potent, after all! "If someone wants to try it out first, here you go. I will finish 20plete potions, and won''t help out more than that. Break the potion, and you will have to suffer. Don''t trust me, and you will die, and probably drag everyone else with you to death. It''s not tasty and you may hate it, but if good taste is more important than your life, you might as well kill yourself." Liam''s words caused the others to frown. Only the small group belonging to Liam was already fully ustomed to his hot and cold, treatment. He was a kind man but also very cruel and unforgiving when someone crossed the lines. Over the past few weeks, Olivia and the others got to know a lot about Liam''s personality. With his background, it made sense to act as he did. With that in mind, Olivia, Jennie, and Felicia reached out for the potion, intending to drink it immediately. They wanted to show everyone that there was nothing to worry about and that it was fine to trust Liam. The three girls looked at each other as they moved at the same time. Faint smiles blossomed on their lips as they halted in their tracks. "I guess, the three of us are ready to drink it. Who''s going first?" Olivia asked, still smiling. "I can," Felicia said, while Jennie nodded her head as well. "I don''t mind either. Liam looked at the three before he cleaned his tools properly. Before using them again, they had to be cleaned to remove all remnants the ingredients might have left behind. This was pretty important because Liam didn''t want to mess up with the follow-up potions. It could end pretty badly if the ratio of ingredients would be messed up. The antidote might actually end up turning into a highly potent potion. That was not something anyone want to happen. Thus, it took quite a while before Liam could start the second brewing. ''I really need to learn how to mass-produce potions, or buy an alchemy set with a cleansing function!'' Meanwhile, Olivia swallowed the content of the Phasma Lavitas Potion. Her face turned paper-white and she looked like she was about to vomit at any moment. Chapter 137 Crush? ? It took less than three hours to finish all Phasma Lavitas Potions. After Olivia drank the first potion, everyone was a little skeptical about its effectiveness. However, Jennie and Felicia drank the next two potions without hesitation. Their bodies'' response to the potions was exactly the same as Olivia had demonstrated first. Their faces turned paper-white and they looked like they were about to vomit at any moment. This statested for half an hour before the girls felt much better than before. In the end, they vomited only once, releasing a greenish substance with several small ck masses mixed into it. While the ck masses were impurities, the greenish substances were the poison that had spread through the body. That was also why the others had a much worse reaction after drinking the Phasma Lavitas Potion. Olivia and the other girls hadn''t been exposed to the Phasma Decur Poison for a long time. Thus, their reaction to the antidote wasn''t as intense as was the case with the others. While Hellen and Derek fared quite as well, the 15 Natives, who had been living in the Underground Shelter didn''t have that much luck. After they swallowed the content of the Phasma Lavitas Potion, they ended up spending five hours in the worst state of their lives. They vomited three to five times each. Each time they vomited, the greenish substance and the ck mass they released were bigger than before. Liam finished cleaning his tools before he put them aside, reattaching them to the Keychain of Miniature Tools. The Keychain was then put back in the Storage Rune. Once he was done cleaning his working space, he walked over to the corner of the underground shelter where he sat down to sleep. However, before Liam could sit down, he felt a light touch around his left arm. He was lightly pulled around, where Felicia''s red face came into his view. "T-Thank you!" She said flustered with a hand on her chest, seemingly to calm down her wildly palpitating heart. Liam was about to say something, only to note that Felicia closed into him, nting a kiss on his cheek. "Y-y-you saved m-my parents¡­thank you¡­" She mumbled under her breath, her thumbing heart overshadowing the noises around her as she took a step back. Her face was burning and it looked almost like her ears were moving in embarrassment. Felicia was not an Elf, but every inch of her body seemed to be screaming out her embarrassment. That was not something humans ought to be able. Their bodies were simply not the same as the Elvens'' bodies, whether it was their physique or the unique traits the cells of Elves harbored. ''I get that she''s thankful, but isn''t that too much? It''s not like I did it for them.'' Liam touched his left cheek where Felicia had kissed him. He tilted his head lightly and stared at the blushing girl. If not for her parents retching and lying on the ground, vomiting the greenish substance and impurities of their body, they would probably be bbergasted. Their daughter had never even held hands with anyone openly, forget about kissing. It was obvious that Felicia and Liam were not together, and it was also quite apparent that Liam was not romantically involved with anyone. That meant¡­their daughter assaulted Liam! ''Fortunately, they didn''t see that,'' Olivia thought as her eyes moved to the 15 people who were kneeling on the ground, trying to stay alive and not to suffocate on their own vomit. Her eyes moved quickly back to Felicia, who was still blushing. It looked like she expected something from Liam in return for the reward she gave out just now. However, something Felicia imagined vividly in her mind wouldn''t expect. Olivia chose to spare her best friend from bad experiences and approached her slowly. Olivia appeared behind Felicia, her hands moved slowly around her waist, and she pulled her best friend toward her just a momentter. "Hiuek!" Felicia was pulled out of her trance-like state through Olivia''s pull. She noticed the tight grasp her friend had around her waist and noticed that Olivia''s head rested on her shoulders. "Don''t overdo it, Felicia," Olivia whispered in Felicia''s ear. Felicia turned her head to Olivia, where he saw a faint smile on her friend''s face. "It''s not bad to have a crush on someone, but you should be a bit careful not to push others away. I think Liam needs some time before he can ept someone in his love life." Even though Olivia didn''t want to sound too serious, she ended up doing exactly that. There was nothing wrong with having a crush on someone. However, there was a big gap between crushing on someone and bothering them with your love. Felicia was currently extremely emotional because she reunited with her parents, just to find out that they were poisoned and about to die in three days. Liam saved everyone without hesitation. That made him seem like a hero from one of the hundreds of fairy tales Felicia had heard in the past. In Felicia''s eyes, Liam was not a Devil and neither a Halfling. He was just a broken hero from this moment onward. Felicia''s heart beat wildly at the thought of fixing the broken hero, tending to his physical and psychological wounds, and being there for him. Her entire body was heating up and she breathed heavier. Feeling the heat Felicia exuded, Olivia smiled wryly. She patted her friend''s head and took a step back. Their private matters were not actually her business. She just felt like it would make things a lot moreplicated if everyone were to confess their love to Liam all of a sudden. It was quite obvious to her, but Liam wouldn''t ept anyone''s confession right now. He was currently not in a state where he could be bothered about love. Liam wanted to get stronger, nothing more and nothing less. Liam''s behavior may be changing slowly, but that didn''t mean his core ideology would crumble all of a sudden. That was very unlikely to happen, no matter how many people fell in love with Liam, or how much time passed. His life may change once he got his revenge, but it would take a while until that would happen. Olivia was not too sure how strong Liam had been in the past, or how strong his family is, but considering that the Underground Tower had been created by the Devil Duchess, there seemed to be a lot to talk about in the future. If Liam''s younger sister was already a Devil Duchess, wasn''t it highly likely that everyone else in his family was even stronger? The more Olivia thought about it, the more problematic the situation seemed. Distracting Liam from his goal wouldn''t be good, and neither would fall in love with him. However, that was not something Felicia could think about. Her mind was in a mess, filled with gratefulness and thoughts about Liam. Liam, on the other hand, was tired from using his Arcane Power to create the Phasma Lavitas Potions. His mental power had been drainedpletely just like his Arcane Power. He was in a big mess and didn''t think too much about Felicia''s kiss on the cheek. She was probably too emotionally involved and thankful for his actions. There was not much to it. With that in mind, Liam fell asleep. He slept very well, and nobody dared to bother him. The next morning, Liam woke up from the noises in the underground shelter. "I understand that you trust Liam, but we''re not going to follow him. We might be weak and it might be foolish to think about hiding from monsters, but we''re not ready to endanger our life more than necessary. Your mom and I will search for a more secure ce and build a small shelter. To protect this shelter, we will have to fight a lot, but it is much more secure than following your friend. He is basically attracting problems. You can tell that as well¡­and I really don''t like that you want to stay by his side. Strength may be important, now more than ever before, but if you die, it will all be useless!" Felicia''s father was talking loud enough to wake up anything in a range of hundreds of meters. At least, that was what Liam felt like as he opened his eyes slightly. He saw Felicia''s father holding her shoulders, trying to talk sense into her. However, that seemed hardly helpful. Felicia''s expression wasplex. She seemed to be in a mess, unsure of what she was supposed to do. Could she follow Liam and the others, or did she have to stay behind with her parents? The former would mean that she had to leave behind her parents once again, while thetter meant that she had to part ways with Olivia and Liam. It was not even sure when they would meet again, or if they would meet again, in the first ce. There was no way tomunicate with each other, after all! "Dad¡­hiding will inevitably kill you. Even if it will be dangerous to stay near Liam, it is probably the safest way to be stronger as quickly as possible. That way, once we''re strong, we can ovee anything, instead of being forced to rely on others to survive!" Felicia said, almost desperately trying to convince her father that it was important to follow Liam. "I rather rely on others than trust someone like Liam." "DAD!" Chapter 138 Separation? ? "Dad!! Why can''t you trust Liam after everything he did for us? Are you really that unreasonable?!" Felicia was shouting loudly. She was enraged about her father''s attitude. It was just too embarrassing to see her father that ungrateful. "Don''t you think that he is ying with all of you? He exploits you and the others while making it seem as if he''s helping you out. Don''t be fooled. They''re all just greedy for power and want our death. They invaded our peaceful to destroy everything, bring disease, and wreak havoc!" "..." Felicia didn''t really know what to say to her father. It was obvious that he wouldn''t listen to her, either way. There was not much she could do but defend Liam. She didn''t know about others, but Felicia knew that Liam was a good person. He might be a little cold on the surface, but that made sense. It was not as if he was too unreasonable either. "It''s okay if you don''t like me. I don''t really care. Just don''t think that everyone actually wants to infiltrate Haltan. Some have been ordered to infiltrate Haltan even though they don''t really want to. Disobeying their orders isparable to a death sentence. Life is not easy in the Nine Realms and you will endanger your entire family, several generations at that if you disobey your superiors. The moment you encounter the worst opponent, you and your entire family will die. Of course, that doesn''t mean you need to like me, or understand me, forget about the other races. They''re your enemy, and you should kill them if they attack you. However, sometimes you will have to create an alliance with an enemy to defeat an even worse enemy. This is just my good-meant ad-..." "You can shut up now. I don''t really want to keep listening to your words. I hope you can leave now. My daughter will stay here!" "..." Liam raised an eyebrow but he nodded his head. He had already picked up his stuff and didn''t need to stay in the underground shelter any longer. Felicia''s face darkened at the course of events. She began to frown as she realized what kind of dilemma she had to face. Was she going to stay by her family''s side, or would she leave with Liam and Olivia? Tiana, Felicia''s mother, was also not feeling that well. She was still a little weak from vomiting a few times during thest few hours. Her condition was much better now thanks to Liam''s antidote but she was a little weak from expelling the poison and some impurities. It was extremely tiresome. Everyone else felt simr. They were weak and vulnerable right now, but they were not poisoned anymore. No matter what they thought about Liam before, he actually worked quite hard to help them. Until now, Liam didn''t even ask them to pay for the other ingredients he used to brew the Phasma Lavitas Potion. He simply forgot to ask about it, but that clearly showed that he was not actually greedy for money. Liam didn''t even think of extorting their few Arcanium, knowing that they needed it more than anyone else. He turned around and chose to leave the underground shelter. "Kev, don''t run around. You''re still we¨C.." However, before Liam could leave, he felt something holding tightly onto his right leg. Looking down, the little boy, whose leg had been poisoned with the Phasma Decur Poison, was holding onto his leg, staring up to make eye contact with Liam. The little boy was among the weakest in the whole group. He had been poisoned first and his immune system was also the weakest. It was already a wonder that the little body could gather enough strength to stay conscious. He should be extremely tired by now. "Thank you, brotherrr." "..." The little boy hugged Liam''s leg tightly, preventing him from moving without pushing the kid away. Liam sighed and bent down to the ground. He patted the little boy''s head. "If you''re thankful to me, make sure that you protect those important to you. Even if you''re too weak to fight right now, train your body and try to learn how to control your Arcane Power. If you have a Soultrait, get to know it better and increase your proficiency with it. Don''t trust other people, and rely only on yourself and those you can trust with your whole heart." Liam got up after that. He ignored the little boy''s sparkling eyes and that the little boy was nodding his head vigorously. His gaze moved to Felicia, who seemed a little conflicted. "If you don''t know what to do, you can buymunication crystals. The cheapestmunication crystals can be bought in pairs for a few hundred Arcanium. You can talk with each other easily as long as you have enough Arcanium. It may not be the best solution but it might help you to make a decision." If Felicia wanted to stay with her parents, she could buy amunication crystal for Olivia and herself. That way, they couldmunicate. The same principle applied if she wanted to stay with him and Olivia. She could usemunication crystals to stay in contact with her parents. "Just do what you want to do. As long as you don''t regret your decisionter, everything will be alright¡­probably." Liam added a shrug to his words, gently removed the little boy from his leg, and moved out of the underground shelter. His Soultrait was triggered upon leaving the underground shelter, but that was quite obvious. After all, a bunch of monsters had been attracted from the fume released in the brewing process of the Phasma Lavitas Potions. He was the only one outside the underground shelter, for now, and he didn''t intend to inform the others about the side-effect of the brewed potions. The scent that spread through the surrounding area was not strong and it could only be detected by monsters with a great sense of smell. That was also why a bunch of mutated dogs, the size of horses, found their way to the ruins of the Dojo. There weren''t any other monsters, which was quite fortunate. Dealing with a few Mutated Dogs was not a problem at all. He was a little tired, but that only added to his excitement. Liam released the Arcane Kunai while simultaneously releasing his ws. Looking at his hands, he was a little sad. The nchal Silk Gloves had been damaged severely. Their Arcane Power storage didn''t work properly anymore, which meant that the natural cirction of Arcane Power in his ws had been disrupted. This was a little annoying. However, Liam didn''t think too much about it. He essed the Storage Rune and retrieved a bunch of ck Tarthear Needles which he threw at therge mutated dogs that had infiltrated the ruined dojo''s yard. They growled loudly and barked several times before manifesting icicles and wind des around them. The icicles and wind des were shot in his direction. They destroyed the ck Tarthear needles and prevented a quick end of the battle. Determining the trajectory of the attacks, Liam evaded the iing icicles and wind des easily. He twisted his body and charged ahead. Circting Arcane Power through his body, his physical strength was enhanced. This gave him a slight advantage over the mutated dogs, whose Stats were slightly higher than Liam''s. Liam evaded the mutated dogs that pounced at him by changing his own trajectory unpredictably. His Devil''s Eyes could see the Arcane Power circting through his opponents and he could predict their movements, easily moving before them in order to get into a better position. His ck ws dug deep into the side of the closest mutated dog as he evaded the attack. The feeling of piercing through the mutated dog''s skin, and flesh caused his eyes to gleam brightly. His movements got sharper and he began to move faster. The Arcane Power circting through his body was released through his pores. It covered his body, creating a tight darkish blueyer around his skin. Liam didn''t even notice that as his movements elerated. He could only feel that the toll on his body decreased and that the power of his Soultrait seemed to have increased. It was much easier for him to determine the trajectory of his opponents, evade their attacks, and initiate counterattacks mere momentster. Five minutes passed in the blink of an eye and the fight ended. He took a deep breath and retrieved the Livral Orb to devour the monster corpses. However, before he could start, his attention was drawn to the entrance of the dojo. "What happened here?" "Can''t you see? Some monsters attacked." Hellen and Derek were standing on the terrace outside the dojo, staring at Liam. "Where are the others?" "Who knows? Maybe, they won''t being after all?" ** If you want to support me use your golden tickets and powerstones. You can also visit my pa treon: Pa treon/HideousGrain More character images and nice chats about the HideVerse: https://discord.gg/EdsDgFVWwZ Link also in my description. Do you like it? Leave a review and add it to the library! Chapter 139 Goals ? At the end of the day, Olivia, Felicia, and Jennie came. Felicia seemed a little out of it, but she grasped a small marble-sized crystal tightly as if her life depended on it. She stared nkly at it for a few seconds before she tested out themunication crystal. After Felicia figured that it was rather unproblematic to talk to her parents through themunication crystal, she was relieved. They left the Dojo and made their way to the next destination. "Once we reach S City, and find Jennie''s parents, I will create the Kikal Tonic. This will take a few days because some ingredients within the Kikal Tonic need to ferment, while others have to rest for two days before they can be processed. That means we will stay a few days in S City. You can make your decision, whether you want to eat the Kikal Stalks as well, or if you don''t want to take them. For the records, it will be very dangerous." Liam''s voice rang through the ears of the small group around him. Everyone was focused on something else, and they merely listened halfheartedly to Liam Felicia was focused on themunication crystal, Olivia was trying to improve her Arcane Power control, while Jennie and Hellen were talking, trying to figure out the best way tobine the utility of their Soultraits. This was very important for the two women because they felt useless asbatants. Thus, they wanted to be useful when it came to discovering danger in the form of traps and finding treasures. As long as they went out to conquer any kind of ancient construction, they would be able to find and remove all traps, and find all kinds of treasures. Of course, this was not as easy as it seemed in the first ce. To discover all kinds of traps, Jennie had to change her mindset. Her Soultrait allowed her items which Jennie determined as treasure in her mind. Armaments and Ornaments were naturally imprinted in her mind as treasures. However, the same couldn''t be said about traps. But that was exactly the point. As long as they could us Hellen''s Soultrait, Traps could also be considered treasures. By dismantling them, Hellen could not only remove the threat of the trap, she could also collect the resources with which they had been created. But there was more! Hellen would receive an influx of information for every trap she dismantled. She would instinctively know how to assimte the trap once again, and information about unique ways to use it. That way, their group could not only be secure while raiding towers and other ancient constructions, but Hellen would be capable of protecting them by installing traps around their shelter. Liam felt that as long as Jennie could consider traps as treasures, her and Hellen''s teamwork and efficiency would increase drastically. They would be a miraculous duo everyone wished to have by their side. Adding Felicia''s Truth of Arcanium Soultrait into the duo to prepare for all types of possibilities when raiding an ancient construction, their group was bound toplete the raid sessfully. That was also why Liam was quite happy that Felicia stayed by their side. She was not only a pretty decentbatant, considering that she never really fought and murdered anyone before the Arcane Apocalypse began, but her Soultrait was also unique in a way that he had never encountered anyone with a simr Soultrait. Her Soultrait required the Arcane System, or rather Arcanium as a medium. Arcanium was used as a tribute in order to receive something as an equal exchange. It was simr to a Divination-type Soultrait, but at the same time, it was kind of different. And then there were Derek Hael''s [Swordgale Aura] and Olivia''s [Weaponry] Soultraits. Right now, both were not able to use their Soultraits to the full extent, but Liam could tell that they were slowly getting better. ''Is he going to put his Soul as coteral to regrow his arm?'' Thinking about Derek, his gaze turned over to the young man, whose mind seemed nk as he followed the others. ''I would probably do it. With the Kikal Tonic and the enhancement in strength we will receive, it won''t be impossible to hunt 1st Circle Monsters. Their corpses are worth a fortune, and it won''t be a problem to earn 500 Arcanium in a month. Though, it''s his decision. Being in debt is always a mental situation that makes some people feel tingly and extremely ufortable.'' Liam wouldn''t hesitate to jump into a huge debt as long as it allowed him to get stronger in an instant. With the increase of his strength, he would inevitably be able to hunt faster and more efficiently, which means that he could earn more Arcanium by selling the hunted monsters'' carcasses. The investment would definitely be worth it, and if he was too bothered about the debt, he would just pay it back as quickly as possible. There was not actually a problem with that. On their way out of the Golden City, they encountered a few monsters. Liam fought by himself, but he also allowed Olivia and Derek to learn a little bit more about their Soultriats by pressuring them a little with the number of monsters they had to face at the same time. At the same time, he forced Jennie to fight a little as well. She was only in possession of a crossbow and a pouch with crossbow bolts. Liam was not sure if she had abandoned all other types of weapons, or if she would pick up a closebat weapon in the future, but she was definitely abandoning closebat for the time being. While that was not further problematic, Jennie had no weapon to protect herself once monsters entered her proximity. She could only use the crossbow body to block some attacks, but that would destroy the crossbow, her only means to kill her opponents. ''She will figure out what to do. It''s not like Jennie is braindead.'' Felicia and Hellen began to fight as well. Felicia was still a little absentminded but she was easily distracted from the tide of the battle. She was in dire need of the distraction. After all, she chose to leave her parents and follow Liam and Olivia. This was not because she liked them more than her parents Her reasoning was different. Felicia felt like she had to be stronger, not only for herself but for others as well. It was very important for her to increase her strength because that was the only thing she could rely on in order to survive. Strength determined the hierarchy in the new world, and her parents didn''t want to ept that. Her father was trying to create a shelter where everyone could hide and live for the rest of their life. However, who was going to protect the shelter? One had to be strong to protect the shelters, which meant that one had to throw themself into masses of monsters over and over again. In fact, even if one wouldn''t seek monster groups to increase Arcanium, it would be important to travel around and seek opportunities to im more treasures and ways to increase your stats. Her parents didn''t really understand that yet, but Felicia did. She knew that by staying next to Liam, she would have to face countless perilous situations, with each of them providing a high possibility of death. However, at the same time, she would gain experience and countless opportunities to increase her stats, im treasures for herself and be powerful enough to stand up for herself. Even if she were to die, Felicia didn''t think that she would regret following Liam. The others'' thoughts were simr in the core, though they differentiated in certain regards. Derek hated his weak self. He clearly recalled when Liam had towered above him asking him if he wanted to die. Hellen wanted to protect herself. She wanted to make sure that nobody could touch her, and that if anyone dared to do so they would fall over dead. As for Jennie, Olivia, and Felicia, they had all their own reasoning to be stronger. However, one of the motivational factors that connected the three of them was their desire to protect their family. They wanted to gain the needed strength to survive the Arcane Apocalypse and to protect the people they loved dearly. It was obvious that they would have to be next to the people they loved in order to protect them, but it was not as if their current strength was even close to the goal they had in mind. With their current strength, they couldn''t even protect themselves. They had to rely on Liam to survive, and they still had to rely on him. His helping hand was always reaching out for them, ready to kill the monsters that were too bothersome to kill. Liam joined the battle as well, but he didn''t focus on killing. He tested out a few new things which he never had the time to experiment in the past. A membrane of Arcane Power shrouded him tightly. It provided a thinyer of protection and the mean to increase the sharpness of his ws. It also pushed away the air around him, drastically decreasing the air resistance around him. That was something Liam always wanted to learn, but he had never been able to do it because his Soultrait in the past had been a little bitplex. In fact, his Soultrait in the past was the reason why he had such a delicate control of Arcane Power within him, while the Arcane Power outside his body was rather crude. The Soultrait in his past was [Body of Origin], and it sealed his Arcane Power inside his body while enhancing his physical strength drastically. Thus, he was forced to turn into a closebat warrior, one way or another. But that had now changed! Chapter 140 Devastated ? S City lies in ruins. A once thriving city had been reduced to nothing but rubble and debris. Buildings had crumbled and copsed, destroyed from the impact of fighting monsters and the aftermath of the Arcane Apocalypse. The only remnants of the battles were piles of twisted metal, broken ss, jagged concrete, burned corpses, and ash. The streets were covered with rubble and debris, with small streams of magma cutting into the ground. Meanwhile, the air was thick, filled with dust, ash, and an intense smell of burned flesh. Even for someone like Liam the devastation in front of him was a rare sight. Under normal circumstances, he fought in open fields, mountains, and other environmental areas. He didn''t see too many cities fall to monsters. ''Well, it is not exactly weird to think that some cities fell to the power of mighty monsters. This seems to be the work of ava-type monster. A strong outburst, releasingva through its body¡­a 1st Circle Monster?'' No matter where Liam looked, there were hardly any signs of life remaining. Those who were not killed in the first few days of the Arcane Apocalypse either fled or were burned to a crisp. Liam didn''t really like this since S City was the city Jennie came from, but there were no hard feelings in his analyzation. "I don''t think anyone in the city survived. If they didn''t leave the S¡­" He could only say until he saw the tears welling up in Jennie''s eyes. Liam shut his mouth and sighed deeply. An awkward silence spread through their group. Jennie was trying not to cry, while Olivia, Felicia, and Hellen were taking care of her. Derek, on the other hand, was shocked at the destruction that seemed to have been created by one type of monster. Everything was burned, or molten down, seemingly from a series of attacks that possessed a simr destructive power. The silence was only broken by the asional sound of buildings copsing, or the distance roars of monsters. ''Smander?'' Liam wondered, tilting his head in confusion. There weren''t too manyva-type monsters with the ability to spit out blobs ofva or release magma through their skin, and the evidence in front of them. The entire city was a clear indicator of the monster type and its strength The city''s infrastructure was in shambles. Even the power lines were torn apart and lying in tangled masses on the ground. Water and sewage systems had been disrupted and the remaining fires were unchecked, consuming what little was left of the city. It was a somber sight and a stark reminder of the fragility of the cities and the Natives'' livelihood. "Mom¡­Dad¡­" Jennie was now crying bitterly. She didn''t have much hope left. There was no way that her parents would have survived the terror thaty in front of them. Their chances in the wilderness were not much better. Olivia hugged Jennie, patting her back. She looked at Felicia in the hope to receive a little bit more mental support for their poor friend, but Felicia''s expression was grave. The city was dead and everything was destroyed. However, that didn''t mean Jennie''s parents were dead. In fact, they might as well be alive with a little bit of luck¡­well, lots of luck. But Liam could tell what Felicia''s expression said. ''Her Soultrait found out something about Jennie''s family, and it''s nothing good.'' Liam figured that Jennie''s parents were dead just by looking at Felicia''s grave expression. There was no way that they were still alive. Thus, Liam went over to Jennie to pat lightly on her head. She continued to bawl, while he turned his attention over to Hellen. "Do you think that you can create traps capable of entrapping a 1st Circle Monster, or isting a small ce from the senses of certain monsters?" He asked Hellen, who looked up from Felicia. She felt that Liam was a little insensitive since Felicia was crying right next to him, but it was not as if he seemed to care too much about that. It was already a lot that he patted her head seemingly as a means to console her. "I am not sure about entrapping 1st Circle Monsters, but I can use some traps with which you can easily notice that powerful monsters approach us. Is that enough?" "..:That should be enough. Let''s get moving." Liam didn''t want to stay at the same spot. They were in the wide open, surrounded by the destroyedndscape where monsters would detect them immediately. He knew the location of a small hut in the forest nearby. Using this as their temporary hideout was the best choice. After all, even Liam was not confident in killing a 1st Circle Monster. His equipment and strength were not high enough to kill a 1st Circle Monster! Without thinking too much about it, Liam pulled Jennie up from the ground. Liam looked at her to see if she would follow them just like that, or if they had to drag her over before he went his way. Olivia and Felicia held one of her hands each, gently pulling her while following Liam. Jennie''s eyes seemed empty, lifeless as if her soul left the body. Liam tried to ignore that for the next hour until they reached their destination. ''There is nobody? No Natives hiding anywhere nearby?'' He actually expected some people to be hiding in the wooden hut, but there was nobody. It looked like the wooden hut had been abandoned a few weeks by now. Liam was not sure if that was rted to the 1st Circle Monster, which had destroyed the city, but it didn''t really matter too much. There was nobody nearby and they could use the wooden hut. That was all that mattered. Olivia and Felicia continued to take care of the devastated Jennie, while Derek sat down close to them, deep in thought. Liam and Hellen, on the other hand, prepared a bunch of traps. Hellen had yet to get to know a wide variety of traps that she could assimte, but that was not further problematic. The small bunch of traps she had gotten to know from dismantling the traps in the Cavern Vige of the Silverheart Dwarves was already more than enough to turn the wooden hut invisible to most monsters and other existences. That was more than enough, and it gave Liam the necessary time to focus on the creation of the Kikal Tonics. He removed two dozen Kikal Stalks from his batch and put them aside. If the others desired strength wholeheartedly, he would give them the Kikal stalks. As long as they survived eating the Kikal Stalks without any side effects, Liam didn''t have anything against the thought of providing them with a Kikal Tonic. Of course, it was unlikely for this to happen. However, with the twist of fate and the death of Jennie''s parents, he believed that the situation would change gradually. It was not necessary to witness the destruction of a whole city to understand what happened to S City. The City was destroyed, evidently by a small number of powerful monsters. That was enough knowledge to understand how fragile life and safety were in the world Haltan had turned. Liam clearly recalled the Great Wars between the Nine Realms, the constant struggle to procure more resources and to stay on top of each other, and he knew that it was time to change things up a little. During thest two weeks, he thought that it might have been best to prepare all kinds of resources and tools to be prepared for any type of situation. But¡­was that really the right thing to do? Liam was not too sure about that anymore, and it didn''t really matter either. The past was just that, a memory of the past. It was something a bunch of people would recall if it was something important, while others would forget about the insignificance of their past. They lived in the present, not the past. Their past actions might have influenced the present but that was already it. Being alive was all that mattered, and Liam was ready to change his approach to the Arcane Apocalypse in order to change the future through his present actions! After he took that into consideration, Liam bought a few ingredients. He went to the attic of the wooden hut, leaving behind his group as he began with the concoction process of the Kikal Tonic. He had enough stalks to concoct a total of 16 ordinary Kikal Tonics. However, while it had been his first thought to do exactly that, and create ordinary Kikal Tonics in order to drink them one after another, Liam changed his attitude toward this real quickly. The potency of every consecutive Kikal Tonic would decrease drastically the more he drank of them. Thus, he changed his n, and merely created six ordinary Kikal Tonic, and one Blood Yokai el Rey Serum The resources he required for the Blood Yokai el Rey Serum were a lot more, including ten times the Kikal Stalks the Tonic required. It was also a lot moreplicated to brew the potion. Brewing the potion was already extremely dangerous, but that was not something Liam could be bothered about anymore. He felt himselfcking in too many things that he actually forgot to make the most use of the things he had gotten on his hands. It was very likely that he would die drinking the Blood Yokai el Rey Serum but as long as he survived, his strength would change drastically! Chapter 141 Breakdown ? "Where are my parents?!? I need to go to them! WHERE ARE THEY?!" Jennie screamed at the top of her lungs. Tears trickled down her pale cheeks like streams. It didn''t really require a genius to figure out that Jennie had a mental breakdown just now. Controlling her was basically impossible in her current state. Liam spends thest three days brewing potions. The Kikal Tonics and the Blood Yokai el Rey Serum required a while to bepleted due to certain processes such as the reaction between two substances from heating up the content inside the sk, and the fermenting procedure of other ingredients. All-in-all, Liam was now done preparing everything to consume the Blood Yokai el Ray Serum. In fact, the only thing left to do was to wait two more days until the Livral Orb finished digesting the Spawn of the Ancient Vermin Drakling. He was in need of the Arcane Power to make full use of the Blood Yokai el Rey Serum. Digesting it properly required a big source of Arcane Power nearby, or stored Arcane Power to be used, otherwise, the effect of the serum would only be half, and his Arcane Power wouldn''t increase at all, leaving him a mere physical enhancement. After spending most of his Arcanium, even the Arcanium he acquired from the Early Birds Shop over the course of thest few days, Liam wasn''t ready to waste the Blood Yokai el Rey Serum. In fact, if the others were not ready to consume the Kikal Tonics or the Kikal Stalks, he would just use them for himself, or sell them for a small fortune. Each of the Kikal Tonics was valued at several hundred Arcanium, while the two dozen Kikal Stalks were probably worth the same simply because they were rare ingredients. "Jennie, please calm down. Calm down a little!" Felicia said, trying to embrace Jennie tightly to restrict her movements and console the young woman. However, Jennie seemed to have gotten much stronger due to her emotional struggle. She got rid of Felicia''s arms easily and tried to charge outside the wooden hut. Until now, no monster found their hideout. That was mostly thanks to the hard work Hellen Wagner did. Her efforts paid off well. Liam was d about that, though it seemed like Jennie''s mental breakdown would change the situation soon. Her shouting was bound to be heard by a bunch of monsters. Of course, that was not something Jennie could be bothered about right now. She was screaming at the top of her lungs, and nobody could hold her back. Her reason to shout out so loudly was pretty simple as well. The Lava Smander, the 1st Circle Monster, also considered the prime suspect as an arsonist of S City, appeared in S City. p¦Ánd¦Á---no¦Í?1,§ão§® It was almost as if the Lava Smander returned to the crime scene to take a good look at the beautiful artwork it had created. For Jennie, the news of the Lava Smander was the worst. She wanted to charge out and tear the monster apart with her bare hands. While that was a nice thought, and something Liam wished to see, it was not realistic, at all. Jennie was not a Balrog nor a Minotaur. She was a weak human who had yet to create her first Arcane Circle. She didn''t even have high enough stats to create the Thrashiest Arcane Circle, in the first ce. Her wishful thinking was nothing more than that, a wish. Liam had already suspected it three days ago, but Felicia''s Soultrait began to work again after they reached S City. In fact, it had never been broken in the first ce. However, the answers she had received from the Truth of Arcanium Soultrait whenever it was about her own family, or Jennie''s family, were extremely vague. They were vague to an extent that nobody could figure out what exactly the answer was supposed to mean in the first ce. This changed the moment they arrived in S City. Felicia''s Soultrait worked again and she received proper answers to the questions she had asked a long time ago. Instead of the ambiguous answers, she knew what exactly happened to Jennie''s parents, and she couldn''t get herself to reveal the truth¡­not everything at least. Liam heard Felicia and Olivia speaking about it before so he knew what exactly happened. To put it simply, Jennie''s parents were dead, and it was impossible to recover their bodies. Adding a few details, The Lava Smander spits a mass ofva on their house, sealing her parents inside it. Jennie''s parents weren''t able to escape theva that melt down their whole house before it reached them. Her parents had been hugging each other until the final moments, pleading to the higher beings that their beloved daughter was doing fine. It was only right for Jennie to know this because they were talking about her parents. However, even Liam didn''t really think that it was a good decision to bluntly tell Jennie that her parents died in a cage ofva, slowly burning to death. It was already enough to say that her parents were dead, killed by the Lava Smander. And that was exactly what Felicia did this morning. Jennie had been out of it for thest three days, only to regain her senses today. She had felt like a mindless vessel. Liam couldn''t really understand why Jennie had been like that before. When his friends and lover had been killed, he was fuming in anger, ready to kill everyone responsible for their suffering even if that meant he would have to die. However, Jennie was not like him. She was a fragile woman, who could hardly take care of herself. Her life had been turned upside down during thest three weeks, and it was only obvious that she had never expected to lose her parents like that. She couldn''t even bid them farewell or talk to them even one more time. Life was cruel, that was reality. Her parents were dead. That was also reality. Thus, upon walking down the attic, Liam chose to intervene in the chaos that had ensued on the first floor. Felicia and Olivia had been trying to hold Jennie without hurting her. This was a lot more difficult than expected as the woman had turned into a wild warrior. "Calm down." Liam''s voice rang through the entire wooden hut. It was calm, yet oddly authoritative. Everyone turned in Liam''S direction, just to see the halfling appearing by Jennie''s side. He held her arm with one hand. His grip was tight and he didn''t even think of loosening it. Jennie''s expression distorted in pain, but she didn''t even think of calming down. On the contrary, it looked like Liam''s grip turned her into an even wilder animal. "Let me go! I need to see my parents!! They''re waiting for me!!!" She screamed out loud, ignoring Liam''s cold expression. Olivia sensed something and she took a step forward. "Liam, wait a mo¨C..." However, before she could even finish her sentence, Liam''s other hand wiped across Jennie''s face, hurling her to the ground. "I told you to calm down." Liam ignored the others around them. He bends down to the ground with his gaze lingering on Jennie. "What do you think you''re doing right now? The Lava Smander killed your parents, correct? I never said that it didn''t But what can you do about it? Do you want to die as well? In that case, don''t drag us with you. Your screams attract other monsters if you keep going like this. If you want revenge, do something against it rather than screaming around mindlessly." Liam was cruel right now, but he didn''t care. He didn''t n on allowing Jennie to drag them down into a situation where death was the only option. He knew how strong a Lava Smander was and could easily tell that it would kill all of them with a single attack. They were not strong enough yet. Jennie stared at Liam, holding her cheek with tears in her eyes. She did not know what she was supposed to say, but she didn''t want to give up yet. Liam''s words went over her head. She didn''t want to hear them so she didn''t listen. That was how things went down. Jennie jumped up from the ground and was about to charge out of the wooden hut without saying a single word. But even before she could take two steps, her sight began to turn hazy. She lost control of her body and everything around her turned ck. Liam caught her with his right arm while he removed his left hand from her neck. The others stared nkly at the situation in front of them with Liam''s right arm coiled around Jennie''s waist while Jennie was unconscious. "Good job!" Felicia said all of a sudden, giving him a thumbs up. Liam raised an eyebrow without saying anything. Jennie should wake up in a few hours, so he put her on the ground while making free his hands to make sure that she was fine. After that, he went out to take a look at the Lava Smander. If it was an Elder Lava Smander, they didn''t have a chance of survival upon fighting. However, if the Lava Smander was not yet that old, they might have a chance of fighting it. Of course, not in their current state. In their current state, it was basically suicidal to fight any type of Lava Smander. But that didn''t mean they couldn''t change in the next few days. Everything was possible as long as they used their resources! Chapter 142 Serum ? Three dayster, Jennie was still not ready to ept reality. But who could hold that against her? She was not able to see her parents even once during the Arcane Apocalypse, and she regretted not having been at home more often before the Arcane Apocalypse started. Jennie had been living in the Golden City since her high school days. She had to leave her parents in order to attend the most prestigious high school in the country. Of course, all of that was not meaningless. Who would bother about the ce you got your diploma from, let alone that you have a high school diploma in the first ce? If Jennie had known that things would turn out like this, she would have stayed at home to stay side by side with her parents. But what exactly would that have changed? She would have died alongside her parents. The only difference was that they would have made good memories with each other before the world turned upside down. The final result would have stayed the same either way. Jennie could only calm down because Liam continued to use force to hold her down. His stats were not overwhelmingly powerful, but his technique was good enough to keep her in check with the least effort. Jennie didn''t eat much and she was struggling to stay awake. It was only a matter of time before she would copse. Liam wasn''t exactly waiting for that moment before he was hoping that Jennie could use her guilt and sadness as fuel to be stronger, to change her stance toward monsters, and to start actively hunting monsters. Ignoring the fact that Jennie''s Soultrait was important, Liam didn''t really like that Jennie was giving up on herself, just like that. Her parents were dead, that was a fact. However, she was still alive, and she could get revenge for the death of her parents. They had been mercilessly killed by a monster. Killing that monster wouldn''t be enough to make her feel good, but it could be considered the start of a new chapter in life. Liam knew that his own revenge was nothing better than an attempt to ept his past and to make sure that his new chapter in life would be different. "Do you want to take revenge on the Lava Smander?" He thus asked expressionlessly. His purple eyes looked only at Jennie, ignoring everything and everyone else in the room. Jennie''s tears had long since ceased. She didn''t have enough tears left to keep crying day in and day out. He could understand Jennie''s feelings because he lost the people he loved dearest right in front of him. The thought alone was enough to make his blood boil and generate enough rage to make him feel things. "If you want to take revenge on the Lava Smander, you have to be stronger. You will have to use a bunch of Kikal Stalks, or one Kikal Tonic. As long as you can survive consuming the Kikal Tonic, your strength will increase drastically. The chances that you will actually survive are slim, so I won''t force, let alone rmend you to actually take it. You can also use other means to be stronger, but they will take a while and you might fall back behind me and everyone else who is willing to take the Kikal Tonic." Surviving the Kikal Stalk''s poison and the painful state caused by the Kikal Tonic was not a matter of the body''s vitality or condition. No. It was only rted to one''s willpower, and desire to stay alive. It didn''t matter what reason one had to stay alive but it was important to desire to live more than death. "They''re pretty nasty, so take your time and decide what you''re going to do. Meanwhile, I will take the Blood Yokai el Rey Serum. If I survive, my stay will probably be around [A], or [S]. By then, you guys either have to be strong enough to not fall behind me, or¡­ I will whoop your asses!" Liam didn''t think that it was necessary to hide that he was going to consume something different than the others. They stared at him with conflicted expressions, but Liam tried to ignore that. But despite trying his best to ignore the others'' gazes, it was clear to see that they were worried. Why would they be worried? The answer to this was pretty simple. They could tell that Liam was going to do something dangerous. He was not overly confident to survive consuming the Blood Yokai el Rey Serum, which his words suggested pretty clearly. [The Livral Orb finished digesting the Spawn of the Ancient Vermin Draklings. The produced Arcane Power has been stored in the Livral Orb''s storage.] [The Host devoured objects and beings worth 50,000 Arcanium. Achievement¡ºLittle Glutton¡»has been attained, [+100 Arcanum have been rewarded!] Seeing this notification in front of his eyes, Liam was pretty sure that he could use a quarter of the umted Arcane Power to use the full potency of the Blood Yokai el Rey Serum while making sure that he would survive the perilous situation. He would be in a vulnerable state but he was sure that he could trust the others enough not only to leave him alone but also to protect him if something were to happen. Liam didn''t spent too much time with the others, and he mostly ignored them, however, they still trusted him. Thus, Liam felt himself slowly trusting them as well, even if there were still times he wished he wouldn''t trust anyone. ''Then let''s see how much Aranium we could get by selling everything.'' [The Arcane Power umted within the Livral Orb can be sold to the Arcane System for 50,000 Arcanium!] "Oh damn." ''50,000 Arcanium? That''s exactly what I need to initiate my Bloodline Awakening. Well, it will be a lot less once I am done with the Blood Yokai el Rey serum.'' Liam knew that he could purchase lots of things with 50,000 Arcanium, but he wanted to get stronger first. He couldn''t focus solely on increasing the quality of his equipment, or purchasing more tools. e¦Áglesn?¦Íel It was about time to change things up a little. "I will release a tremendous amount of Arcane Power in the house. The traps Hellenid out might not be enough to cover the traces. Thus, I will install an Arcane Power istion circle. We won''t have to bother about other monsters noticing us. If you want to consume a Kikal Tonic or some Kikal Stalks, do it when I release the Arcane Power. Use the massive amount of Arcane Power to survive and ovee the poison while making the most out of it," Liam said before he put down the six Kikal Tonics and two dozen Kikal Stalks. He wouldn''t force anyone to take them but he gave them the opportunity. Once he was done, Liam opened the Arcane Shop and walked outside while scrolling downward. His eyes moved rapidly as the rows of items flew by the holographic screen. [1x ¡ºDome of Istion(A+ Rank)(100 Hours)¡»has been purchased. 500 Arcanium have been deducted!] 100 hours were more than enough to consume the Blood Yokai el Rey serum. Liam was pretty sure that the others wouldn''t require much longer either. Thus, he installed the Dome of Istion and activated it before he went inside. Liam looked at the others just to see that none of them had moved to the Kikal Tonics. The others were conscious of Liam''s gaze but he didn''t really mind that. He went to the attic and sat down with the Livral Orb in hisp and the vial of the Blood Yokai el Rey Serum in his hand. There was no need to hesitate. He released a tremendous amount of Arcane Power from within the Livral Orb while swallowing the content of the vial at once. Oddly enough, the serum smelled oddly sweaty and sour. It was a deadly mixture that made you wonder just how unhealthy something can taste. However, before Liam could focus on the taste, his body began to heat up. Every cell in his body seemed to be churning, heating up to the extent where Liam began to wonder whether he was going to die, or if he would turn into a potato head. This thought was enough for him to instinctively reach out to the Arcane Power in his surroundings. He pulled it inside his body to cool down his cells and treat his body with a cool treatment. His body kept heating up, consuming the Arcane Power that ought to cool him. This forced Liam to keep attracting more cool Arcane Power and to consistently circte through his body. He had to find out a rhythm that allowed him to keep his body temperature low and to pull in more and more Arcane Power. Slowly but steadily, his body felt sore as the hot and cold treatment killed his senses. Through this sensation, he felt incapable of perceiving anything in his surrounding. He noticed that a bunch of notifications had popped up to his right but Liam closed his eyes to ignore them. Focusing on the present was more important than a bunch of system notifications. With that in mind, he grit his teeth and endured the tremendous pain that spread through every single cell of his body. It made him feel as if he was confused. However, in return of being consumed, Liam did exactly the same, consuming everything and everyone just like them! [The Host''s Will increased.] [The Host''s Will increased.] [The Host''s Will increased.] [The Host''s Strength increased.] [The Host''s Strength increased.] ¡­ .. Chapter 143 Power-UP ? Liam''s body was still feeling hot. It was almost as if he was slowly melting. His pores had long since opened and a sticky mass was slowly released from the inside of his body. The sticky mass merged with his cold sweat and it fell to the ground with a ssh, forming a puddle around Liam. The temperature in the attic was constantly increasing due to the natural heat of the young Halfling. His entire being was extremely hot right now and it seemed like things were getting even worse the more of the sticky mass he released. It smelled disgusting, enough to make Liam retch, and nearly take him out. He could hardly breathe, which made it more difficult to stay calm andposed. Focusing on the cirction of Arcane Power was also not that easy. Liam released more and more cool Arcane Power from the Livral Orb. However, instead of allowing the Arcane Power to spread through the building, he was more focused on absorbing it. He created a small systematic with which he repeated a simple process of circting Arcane Power through certain pathways inside his body. That way, his body cooled down a little, enough to make sure that he wouldn''t die. Time passed slowly, and Liam focused on further decreasing the temperature of his body. With that in mind, he created a small vortex of Arcane Power inside his body. The vortex was just a small revolving swirl at first, until it was expanded, creating a temporary Arcane Vortex in the center of his chest. The Arcane Vortex changed various things for Liam. First of all, it increased the cirction speed of his Arcane Power, which was already a great gain as it allowed him to spread the cool Arcane Power further through his body. His control of Arcane Power was easier and it felt more refined as well. This was not only due to the influence of the temporary Arcane Vortex. No. It was also something that was caused by the badly reeking ck impurities he had released all over his body. Every body had impurities, and being with more Impurities were known to have a weaker burst of Arcane Power and a slower cirction speed of Arcane Power. Overall, one''s talent with Arcane Power was usually determined by the Innate potential of the being, and the ''purity'' of one''s body. No matter how high someone''s Innate potential was, if that being''s body was overflowing with impurities, they wouldn''t be able to control Arcane Power precisely. This worked out the other way around as well. If one was fully purified but only in possession of low Innate potential, even the effects of relentless training would have limited effects. While Innate potential was something one was born with, it was possible to train hard and break through the limit. This was an exceedingly rare urrence and not something anyone in the wooden hut had to take care of. The only thing they had to pay attention to was cleansing their body of impurities to unleash their dormant potential. This included Liam, whose body as Halfling was easily flooded with impurities. His repulsive bloodlines were usually the reason why his body umted impurities. Somehow, impurities caused his repulsing bloodlines toy low and stop shing with each other. While that was a good thing, it didn''t help him be stronger. Impurities were bad for his health, and they may actually kill him indirectly. After all, being unable to disy his fullbat prowess due to restricted Arcane Power control was not impossible. It happened often enough. Thus, Liam rather had his bloodlines sh and harm him a tad than restrict his Arcane Power control further. The more time passed, the easier Liam found controlling Arcane Power. The surrounding Arcane Power coated him tightly just like the firm embrace of a lover. The amount of impurities spreading across the attic was quite considerable by now, but that was only something Liam noticed when his body returned to its original temperature. He opened his eyes and was immediately bombarded with a convulsing smell. Liam began to retch a few times while his Arcane Power spread through the attic, shrouding the sticky and badly reeking mass of impurities. He stored them in the shop where e sold them for a small fortune. Some semi-intelligent monsters really loved impurities. Liam was still not sure how something as disgusting and restrictive as impurities could be converted into a useful resource that increased thebat power of monsters. Though he might not know how that was possible, he knew that someone would buy it. Being able to get rid of the bad smell and earning some pocket money was certainly a good feeling. Liam enjoyed it quite well as he slumped back to the ground where he continued to rest for a few minutes. ''Am I strong or weak right now?'' Even though he felt extremely powerful right now,pared to before of course, he was pretty sure that his feet couldn''t cary his body weight properly right now. Trying to get up from the ground, his legs shivered like leaves in the midst of a storm. His calves were like jelly and he stumbled through the attic to make his way to the ground. Taking a look at the others downstairs, Liam quickly figured that most of them had used some Kikal Stalks and one Kikal Tonic each. They were still in the midst of the digestion process, which could be seen and smelled. Thus, Liam retrieved the Livral Orb to release more Arcane Power which he sent through the first floor of the wooden hut. He made sure that everyone could sense the cooling sensation of Arcane Power on their skin. Controlling the Arcane Power precisely, Liam coated everyone in it, providing a tiny bit of support. There was no need to overdo it, but he wanted to show the others what a little Arcane Power could do. While controlling the Arcane Power, he looked at the tens of notifications that had popped up when he digested the Blood Yokai el Rey Serum. He waved his hand and removed the notification to look at his status panel instead. ?¡ª-?Entity Details??¡ª-? [Liam Wandel] [Halfling] [Devil/Human] [Rank: Circleless] [Soultrait:¡ºDevil''s Eyes¡»] [Arcanium:516.4 ] ¡ª¡ª¡ª-?Stats?-¡ª¡ª¡ª [Vitality: (SS-)] [Strength: (S-)] [Agility: (S-)] [Stamina: (S-)] [Arcane Power: (A+)] [Will: (S+)] ?___________________? Before, his Strenght, and Stamina had been at [D-], his Agiltiy [D], and both his Arcane Power and Will [C-]. However, right now, his lowest stat was [A+]. He was not too sure how much time had passed, or how long the weakened state and the exhaustion wouldst, but Liam was certain that his current stats were too good to be true. As long as he used the remaining Arcane Power stored in the Livral Orb to train his Arcane Power, it would inevitably increase to the S Rank. By then, he could initiate his Bloodline awakening, which would provide him with an overall increment in Arcane Power, body, and mind, thus increasing all of his stats once again. ''Wasn''t [S] the highest rank? Didn''t everyone say that you can create an Ancient Arcane Circle as long as all of your stats are at the S rank? Was that wrong? If not, is there a rank above the Ancient grade?'' Liam wondered. He squinted his eyes and began to doubt his current knowledge. His Vitality stat increased to SS-, which meant that it might as well increase further until SS+, or possibly even SSS- once his Bloodline Awakening had beenpleted. That confused him quite a bit, understandably. He was only in his mid-20s, but his experience of life and his knowledge were not something anyone could acquire easily. It was quite confusing to find out that there was something his ''family'' didn''t know either. ''If mother doesn''t know, this find would be amazing¡­but is she really oblivious? Like seriously? It seems more logical that she didn''t want to tell anyone about the possibility of creating an Arcane Circle of a higher grade than Ancient rather than her being oblivious. Does that mean her Arcane Circles are at the Ancient grade, or the grade above?'' Liam was deep in thought as he continued to release Arcane Power through the Livral Orb. He was seated on the staircase because he felt incapable of ascending the stairs once again. He would have to turn around and step upward. His body didn''t want to support such a thing right now. e¦Áglesn?¦Íel But that was fine since he could shroud his mouth and nose with enough Arcane Power to repulse the reeking stench in the ground floor. It was quite interesting to watch the others sweating buckets and trying to focus on maintaining the temperature of their body. It was certainly not an easy feat, especially not after Liam threw a bait at them with the Arcane Power that began to shroud their body. Maintaining the temperature of their body could be made easier by circting Arcane Power through their body. However, multitasking was certainly not something everyone could do, especially when it came to precisely controlling Arcane Power. Liam was not having a hard time because he had already been a 4th Circle powerhouse in the past. At the young age of 22 did he reach the 4th Circle. That was a phenomenal achievement, and also the reason why his mother and siblings had gotten interested in him once again. Liam actually regretted creating his fourth Arcane Circle. However, it was not his fault that he was so fast. The opportunities he had were at fault if one wanted to put it like that. But that was not it either. After all, everything was his mother''s fault. Chapter 144 Slavery? ? [The Arcane Power umted within the Livral Orb can be sold to the Arcane System for 43,531 Arcanium!] Liam had used almost a fifth of the umted Arcane Power, but the result spoke volumes for itself. Liam''s stats had increased drastically and the others were also doing much better than expected. He was still releasing Arcane Power from within the Livral Orb to aid the others but the amount had decreased significantly. Liam could focus on training his body withplex cirction methods to slowly increase his Arcane Power stat. That way, he could reach the [S]-rank andplete one of the requirements to awaken his Bloodline. His weakened state bothered him quite a bit, but there was nothing he could do about it. Using external means to tend to his weakened state might worsen it. Recovering naturally was the best way to solve his issues. ''I wonder how strong they''ll be.'' Liam was quite interested in the young man and the women in front of him. They weren''t weak but he didn''t expect all of them to take the Kikal Tonic. In his opinion, their Willpower was not strong enough to survive consuming the tonic. Well¡­that was before they witnessed the fragility of life and that even 1st Circle Monsters were already strong enough to obliterate an entire city without any problems. Jennie''s entire being was flooded with hatred, guilt, and the thought of revenge. That was enough to fuel her Willpower temporarily and allow her to survive consuming the Kikal Tonic. However, the others¡­ were still a little bit on the weaker side, and not actually fueled by anything. ''As long as they survive, everything is fine, I guess¡­'' He sighed deeply and shrugged his shoulders. His gaze turned over to the Arcane Shop, and he took a nce at his own Early Birds Shop as well. Some exhibition slots in his shop were still used, and Liam filled up the remaining empty slots with other equipment. There were always some visitors in his shops, so most cheap-priced goods were bought in the blink of an eye. The feeling of being able to make money in an instant was certainly good. However, Liam also felt the need to expand his shop a little. It would be great if he were to be able to get hold of a few Alchemists, cksmiths, Tailors, or other Artisans to sell certain goods as his main products. That would not only pull in more customers, and increase his profit, but it would also mean that he could generate a somewhat stable source of ie. Currently, the Early Birds Shop was more like a garbage bin to Liam. He wanted to change that because of the above reasons. ''Should I enve some Dwarves and Elves? This would increase my profit drastically. There are enough exiled and abandoned Elves and Dwarves as well. Picking them up and nourishing them could be worth it as long as their Soultrait is somewhat decent. Maybe we can even have disposable meatshields and scouts then¡­'' Liam knew that very would never really be abolished in the Nine Realms. Thus, he thought that he could make use of it. As long as he treated his ves well, they wouldn''t ever think about betraying him, not that they were able to do something like that in the first ce. He wouldn''t force them to do anything weird either. After all, he wasn''t going to purchase ves to pleasure him sexually but to earn a fortune. ''If I offer them 5% of the profits and tell them that they can buy their freedom they would be motivated to produce the best products as well¡­That makes sense¡­'' Somehow, Liam felt like he was telling himself to buy a bunch of ves. Now that he had the money, he could afford a pretty decent ve. Not many were as wealthy as he was, and even if someone were as wealthy as he was, nobody would really bother spending their whole fortune on ves, not at the given moment. However, that might actually be an opportunity worth exploiting. There was no demand, which meant that the overwhelming supply would have their price regted ordingly. "If I find a good one for less than 10,000 Arcanium, I should take the deal. Can I get a Master cksmith? I need a proper weapon if I want to fight the Lava Smander, after all¡­" Liam was talking to himself while scrolling through the Arcane Shop, and the other shops. There was one particr new shop, which had brought him to think that he should purchase a ve. It was a very Shop with various unique ves on disy. There were even chains, chokers and other things that had been altered with very magic. It was almost as if the shop wanted to promote very all over Haltan and create a ce full of ves. Liam was not really sure what to think about that because he had nearly be a ve in the past as well, but he understood that some idiots were stupid enough to fall into the traps created by loan sharks and renowned organizations that were known for being shady. In fact, most ves either lost a bet, were unable to repay their debt, or theymitted certain crimes that were worthy to be punished by death. However, death was too light of a sentence for some, and the unique powers of some were still useful. Thus, rather than executing the criminals, they were abused and exploited until they copsed dead on the ground. Of course, there were also a few poor souls that were forced into very without breaking any contracts ormitting crimes, but the number of them was rather slim. That was also why Liam didn''t actually feel too bad when taking a precise look at each of the ves. The ve Shop didn''t reveal much information. It only disyed the Race, Sex, Age, Height, Weight, and Circles. There was not even detailed information about the stats, forget about the Soultrait. Liam was a little bit annoyed by that because he could pretty much tell that he was faced with a gamble the moment he purchase a ve without knowing anything about their prior profession. With that in mind, Liam diverted his focus a little. He took a look at the stored Arcane Power in the Livral Orb and created a small n for the future. He willed the Arcane System to follow his n and a bunch of notifications popped up in front of him. [Transaction has beenpleted, 33,531 Arcanium have been added to the bnce of the host!] [Arcanium: 34,047.4] [¡ºArcane Kunai¡»-Lesser Relict/Circleless D+ Rank- Description: The Arcane Kunai is a weapon with many unique properties. It was forged in the maw of a dying Drake using the Essence of a ckleara Swordfish. It can be bound to one Source of Arcane Power which can precisely control the Relict in a range of 25 meters as long as enough Arcane Power has been provided. Remark: The Lesser Relict can be upgraded up to the ¡¸1st Circle D Rank¡¹using Arcanium. Remark 2: The longer the distance to the Relict, therger the Arcane Power consumption upon usage!] [18,160 Arcanium have been deducted to increase the rank of the Lesser Relic ¡ºArcane Kunai¡»!] [¡ºCircleless D+ Rank¡»?¡ºCircleless A Rank¡»] [Arcanium: 15,887.4] [¡ºArcane Kunai¡»-Lesser Relict/Circleless A Rank- Description: The Arcane Kunai is a weapon with many unique properties. It was forged in the maw of a dying Drake using the Essence of a ckleara Swordfish. It can be bound to one Source of Arcane Power which can precisely control the Relict in a range of 200 meters as long as enough Arcane Power has been provided. ¨CExtraordinary Sharp ¨CCan be enchanted (1) Remark: The Lesser Relict can be upgraded up to the ¡¸1st Circle D Rank¡¹using Arcanium. Remark 2: The longer the distance to the Relict, therger the Arcane Power consumption upon usage!] The description of the Arcane Kunai changed quite a bit. It was not disyed as extraordinarily sharp and could be enchanted once. The former meant that it was sharper than its rank suggested, able to cut through the hide of 1st Circle Monsters. Meanwhile, thetter meant that it could be permanently enchanted as long as Liam used an Enchantment Stone. He paid a huge fortune to increase the rank of the Arcane Kunai, but the final result was certainly worth it. Lesser Relics with unique enchantments were valued at the same price range as higher-ranked Relics, after all! ''Should I go with a strong poison? I can also enchant a Bleeding effect...oh no, there is something even better! Anti Arcane Power enchantement! But that would be extremely expensive. Even Lesser Relics are dirt inparison to such an enchantment¡­'' Liam figured that there were many unique enchantments he could put on the Arcane Kunai. However, he had to take into consideration that he would soon create his first Arcane Circle. Considering that his stats were already that high, he would be able to create the strongest Arcane Circle uponpleting his Bloodline Awakening. The Arcane Kunai had to be upgraded once again, until the Lesser Relic would reach its limit at the 1st Circle D Rank. Purchasing an enchantment priced at over a hundred thousand Arcanium might actually not be worth it, though he needed to figure out how long he could use the Arcane Kunai with such an enchantment. It could still be useful upon creating his 2nd Circle. ''I have enough time to figure out what I want. Let''s look out for some criminal Master cksmith ves.'' Chapter 145 Were-Race ? [Were-Tiger ire Orion] ¨C [12,000 Arcanium] ''Should I buy her?'' That was one of the many questions shing through his mind for thest few minutes. While searching through the ve Shop''s ''goods'', Liam found a few interesting names. There were a bunch of fallen nobles, and descendants of well-known ns that seemed to have been enved. Their names were like brands, increasing their value from the get-go. Orion was a simr name. Not many knew about the Orion Tribe of the Were-Tigers, but Liam was one of them. He only knew about them because of his older brother''s constant nagging and childishints when he had tortured Liam. Being tortured was already a nuisance, and painful - obviously - but Liam could swear that his brother''s nagging had been the worst of it all. [It has already been over a century, but these half-monster bastards are still as annoying as ever. How dare they interfere in my Monarchical Ceremony?!] [They should have all dropped dead when I ordered them. Maybe I inspected too much intelligence from those wild monsters. They may look human-like but they''re just wild animals. It''s truly a pity that such a race is blessed with a great physique and unique Soultraits. If it were any other race, they would be true powerhouses and worthy of my attention. [Were-Bears, Werewolves, and Were-Tiger are the worst bastards. I clearly recall the days as the captain of the Empyrean Legion. These bastards learned to brew potions and forge weapons and armor. If not for my overwhelming power, they would have been able to face the Empyrean Legion head-on. Of course, with my power nobody is strong enough to fight me!] [Even after a century, these half-monster bastards didn''t leave the Forest of Lacar. They''re now hiding after I eradicated most of their tribes with my tremendous strength and unfathomable wits. Only those bastards of the Orion n and their subsidiary ns were able to escape my clutches. They''re the most annoying, even able to withstand my deadly attacks once or twice. Maybe, I should have pursued them a little longer, but they were not as interesting as you, little brother~!] Liam was not exactly sure why his brother was always bragging to him while making it sound as if he wasining about something, but it was really hateful. His older brother was way too talkative while holding blood-smeared tongs in his hand. The tongs had been used to remove Liam''s finger- and toenails before his fingers were slowly broken before they were finally cut off. His brother had the ability to restore the bodies of those he harmed lethally. Thus, their mother usually used him as the torture master. That was not only a stupid title but also one of the most feared titles in the entire Devilian Empire. Liam understood that best. He knew that his brother was using the worst methods to inflict the most pain on his victims over a very long period. At the same time, he talked like a waterfall, seemingly without a break. Liam probably forgot most of the things his older brother told him by now, but that was only obvious. He had been too focused on the pain he had to go through with a missing ear, foot, fingers, hand, and so on. It was certainly not funny to listen to his brother''s bragging while he cut off one of your fingers¡­definitely no fun! Fortunately, Liam recalled his older brother''sment about the Orion Tribe. That was why he understood how ir Orion''s price came into being. ''No Arcane Circle, 18 years old, and clearly malnourished ording to her height and weight. ording to the picture, she seems to be a beautiful woman, but that picture is probably really old. Their weight is definitely not the same. Did she starve herself to make sure nobody will vite her, or even purchase her, to begin with?'' Liam didn''t want to waste 12,000 Arcanium on a useless, dying ve. If he purchased a ve, it was better if that ve had a trace of hope left. He was not too sure what happened to the Orion tribe but given that the shop demanded 12,000 Arcanium - and the Arcane System didn''t consider this ''overpriced'' - Liam figured that there could only be a few reasons. ''Being one of the most expensive ves in the shop and ranked higher than some fallen noble households who''re known for their powerful Soultraits and bloodline, ire Orion should have a powerful Soultrait as well. Mayner, her Bloodline awoke as well. She should be a descendant of the Orion tribe''s main family, maybe even the daughter of their Leader. If her tribe is destroyed, she will have nowhere to go even if I offer her freedom¡­ She might not even have the will to stay alive and kill herself the moment I don''t pay enough attention to her¡­'' Diverting his gaze from the holographic screen for a while, Liam took a nce at the batch of heavily sweating Natives. The amount of Arcane Power they could control at once was not too much. It was barely enough to cool their body to survive consuming the Kikal Tonic. ''They will be in a weakened state for a week, or even longer. Probably two weeks if they rely on natural recovery. By then, I should be fully recovered as well, and my Arcane Power should be stronger as well.'' Two weeks were a long time, but it was barely enough for Liam to recover. He might look fine on the outside, and he was able to think properly without too many daggers stabbing into his brain, but every cell of his body had faced a never seen before threat. The toll he took from consuming the Blood Yokai el Rey Serum was not something he could take lightly. All of his stats increased drastically in the process, but it was not as if his body could endure such a drastic change easily. If not for his Vitality stat at the S rank from the get-go he would have never consumed the serum in the first ce. Thinking about that, he smiled a bit. However, it was not too bad that his body had taken a toll from consuming the serum. It was actually an opportunity to train his Arcane Power. During the recovery period, the body would devour Arcane Power like a Glutton. This was a means to increase the natural recovery rate of the body, and it was a phenomenon that could be exploited rather easily. Training his Arcane Power while consuming it naturally like a born Glutton should help him to increase his Arcane Power quite a bit. Liam was not too sure if it was enough to bring it up to the S- Rank, but he knew that it would bring him a step closer. That was more than enough for him. But then again, Liam didn''t really want to waste two full weeks doing nothing but consuming Arcane Power. Considering that he was already spending most of his Arcane Power, and Arcanium, he should do something that would allow him to increase his fortune in the following two weeks of recovery. Thus, ire Orion seemed to be the best option. She should be a cksmith or an Artisan of some sort. Even if she wasn''t an Artisan and he made a ''mistake'' by purchasing her, Were-Tigers were born Warriors. Their instincts were eerily precise, and their body was flexible yet powerful. They may not be the most intelligent Were-race in the Nine Realms but it was not as if Liam wanted to find a strategist, in the first ce. With that in mind, he decided to take the gamble and purchase the Were-Tiger. He was already overthinking his decision, and he knew that he would regret thinking about it too much. ''Either she is extremely valuable and will be a useful asset, or she will try to kill herself because she has nothing left to lose. If it''s thetter, I can just put on more restrictions on her and tell her that she can kill herself once she earned enough Arcanium to make up for my investment. Consider it the price of death.'' [1x¡ºve(ire Orion)¡»has been purchased. 12,000 Arcanium have been transferred to the Dark ve Shop!] [The transaction has beenpleted, and the Arcane System willmence the transportation of the good ording to the agreement of the 10 Great Realms. Please select a secure ce tomence the teleportation!] Liam expected the notifications to appear so he returned to the attic. The natives would be fine without him now that he had released enough Arcane Power. With his focus on the semi-transparent magic circle that manifested in front of him, Liam finished selecting the destination of the teleportation. For a second or two nothing happened, only for a dazzling golden light to epass the entire attic all of a sudden. In the next few seconds, Liam backed off a little as a reeking stench flooded his nostrils. He stopped moving only after the dazzling light disappeared, unveiling a slightly astonishing sight in front of him. A malnourished tiger with silver fur - or what was supposed to be silver fur - had appeared in front of him. It was ire Orion, just that she didn''t seem to be a Were-Tiger but a full-fledged tiger instead. ''Transformation? A Teraph? Well¡­this is crazy.'' Liam found a treasure trove! If she was not suicidal that is! ** If you want to support me use your golden tickets and powerstones. You can also visit my pa treon: Pa treon/HideousGrain More character images and nice chats about the HideVerse: https://discord.gg/EdsDgFVWwZ Link also in my description. Do you like it? Leave a review and add it to the library! Chapter 146 Stubborn Tiger ? The Were-Tiger ire Orion was currently in a fully-transformed state, which could only be essed by few members of the Were race. Maybe one in a million was able to transform into the Teraph-form. That meant, ire Orion was a little treasure as long as she was used properly. ''Her price makes sense, for sure.'' As long as ire Orion would turn into his devout ve, he could ask her about her Soultrait, and figure out if her Bloodline Power had already awoken. But before that, he had to restrict her. The Were-Tiger growled at him threatening. To others, this might be intimidating and scare the shit out of them, but Liam just smiled. ire Orion was already malnourished, her fur was dirty, and it was not exactly difficult to tell that she faced a Arcane Power deficit state. The fact that she was fully transformed into a Teraph meant that she wouldn''t be able to life much longer if not treated properly. Nheless, she growled at him the moment her surroundings changed. She noticed that she was in an attic and that a white-skinned Devil was standing in front of her smiling amiably. The amiable smile would have fooled others, but not ire Orion. "How about you calm down a little, ire Orion?" Liam asked lightly, only to take a step back as ire Orion dashed to him. Her strength was certainly not weak, under normal circumstances, but she was in an even weaker state than Liam. Furthermore, his Devil''s Eyes Soultrait was activated right now. He moved to the side after stepping back, evading her attack. A momentter, his left hand shot forward, hitting her neck. ire''s eyes rolled back and her sight blurred before she copsed on the ground, unmoving. "Well, that was easier than I thought," He mumbled before getting to work. Liam didn''t kill ire Orion and knocked her out instead. Her Teraph-form was also removed due to her inability to maintain the form. Thus, the young woman''s true form appeared in front of him for the first time. ire Orion was probably a beautiful woman, under normal circumstances, of course. She was covered in scab from injuries she had sustained over the course of months¡­no, probably years, her long dark-wood-like hair was dirty and matted. It smelled bad as well. She had a small tiger tail that grew out of the tailbone and long ears jutted out of her matted hair. Other than that, she didn''t have too many additional body parts, or indicators of her being a Were race. This was quite rare since the Were race was known for being half human half monster. Usually, they were covered in fur, or half of their body at least. ''Well, her eyes are not like human eyes either. More like slits of a ferocious tiger¡­maybe not that ferocious.'' Liam observed the naked woman without a tinge of lust. ire Orion was extremely skinny, but that was to be expected from a ve who hardly got any meals. Maybe a small piece of mottled bread and a ss of water a day, but that was it. He sighed a little and got to work by purchasing a few things. Now that ire Orion was lying in front of him, unable to protect herself, he could force her to drink a few potions. He didn''t really care about her consent, whether she was conscious or not, but it made things easier now that she couldn''t fight against him. Spending a hundred Arcanium in the blink of an eye, he purchased three potions. He fed the content to the unconscious woman before he started to clean her. He had also purchased a simple set of clothes that should fit her decently. Liam was not nning to help her too much, but cleaning her, feeding her some potions to elerate her natural recovery and stabilize her mental state, in addition to giving her some simple clothes should be enough to gain a tinge of trust. Even if he would gain her suspicion instead, it should be enough to talk to her. At least, ire Orion wouldn''t pounce at him. That was something Liam was quite certain about. Unfortunately, this confident statement was crushed the moment ire Orion regained her consciousness. It had been well over an hour and Liam was done cleaning her. He had even put on her new clothes already. Thus, seeing them getting ripped apart the moment ire regained her consciousness, transforming into the Teraph-form instantaneously, didn''t really feel nice. "Fine¡­buy your own clothes then¡­" He grumbled, ignoring the growling girl. "Looks like you''re feeling better now. If you''re done fooling around, how about we talk?" Liam asked while retrieving a bunch of tes, all of them filled with high-quality meat. He put the tes down in front of him and waited a few seconds. ire Orion continued to growl but she grew quieter with the passing time. A load growl form her stomach changed the situation entirely. It was almost as if a switch had been turned off. ire pounced forward, and she began to gobble down the meat without any qualms. ''I can hardly tell her that she will get a stomachache from eating too much at once. She would just growl at me. Well¡­it''s not my problem.'' Liam shrugged inwardly, vividly imagining the malnourished woman screaming in painter the day. He knew that his words wouldn''t help in any way. Thus, he kept his mouth shut for a while. He merely watched ire Orion in the Teraph-form swallowing the food in a tranced state. Liam was pretty sure that the little girl was starving and that her mind had shut off at the sight of the food. That meant her state was truly bad. After all, he could have put aphrodisiac or poison into the food. ''Looks like she is still naive.'' Liam thought with a faint smile. It was good if the little girl was still naive. It meant that she hadn''t been tortured too bad, and that nobody vited her. Of course, his train of thought didn''t exclude that his conclusion might be wrong. However, Liam felt that the situation changed in a good way. The tension in the woman''s body was slowly dispersing, even if it was only because of the food she ate. Only when she had finished her meal did she regain herposure to a certain degree. She recalled the situation she was in and retreated instinctively. ''Really? Now you want to retreat? "You can return to your original form now, right? I don''t n to abuse you sexually or anything like that. I want to use you, not your body. Just so you know, you can regain your freedom, and I could have acted differently if I wanted to treat you like a shitty ve¡­since you were already bound to me the moment I purchased you. I could just order you around and force you to remove your Teraph-form. Though, you might not believe me," Liam said at this moment. He shrugged his shoulders while looking at the Were-Tiger in front of him and he sighed deeply. However, instead of listening to his words, ire Orion had begun to growl at him once again. ''She really doesn''t want to listen. What a stubborn, idiotic girl¡­using her might be easier than expected.'' "Then don''t return to your Original form. That''s fine with me as well. Work for me voluntarily in exchange for 10% profit of all the things you create," Liam said, staring at ire Orion for a few seconds to see her response. She didn''t move and simply stared at him. "¡­" This time, she didn''t start growling and kept her eyes on him. "Interested now? Either way. You can regain your freedom by working for me. If you don''t want that, I will just force you to create weapons for me. I don''t really feel like abusing you sexually or anything like that. I want to use you, which I just said, but not in a way you would dislike. Regain your freedom by working tirelessly for me!" Liam was fully aware that it was unlikely for ire Orion to believe, forget about trusting him. It was more likely that she would never believe him. However, seeing hope and trusting someone was quite different. Even if ire Orion didn''t trust Liam, it was pretty obvious that she was hopeful. She wanted to regain her freedom more than anything, and Liam gave her the opportunity. He might be lying, the chance was quite high, in fact. But what if he wasn''t lying? He was very unlikely to be telling the truth, yet the minuscule chance attracted ire''s attention. ire was not moving anymore. She stared nkly at him and sized him from head to toe. Liam noticed her response and retrieved a second pair of clothes from the Storage Rune. Smiling lightly at her, he knew that she wouldn''t be hard to convince. "I won''t return your freedom if I have to force you to work for me," He said calmly, resulting in ire Orion flinching. The hair all over her body stood up to its end and she jumped forward impulsively. However, instead of pouncing at Liam, ire Orion appeared in front of the clothes which she picked up. Her paws slowly transformed into human hands as she transformed back to her human form. She groaned in pain as thest bits of her energy were used for the transformation before she hurriedly put on the clothes while hiding her body from Liam. As Liam saw her exposed back pointed at him, he couldn''t help but feel a little sad. ''These scars are pretty long. Scars from a whip, and long des?'' Liam tilted his head a little as he didn''t expect a descendant of the Were-Tiger''s Orion n to be mistreated like this. It was a slight surprise, but ire''s stubbornness was most likely the cause of the wounds all over her back. That made it a little bit difficult though¡­. At least that was what Liam thought before he heard ire speaking. "I-if I¡­If I agree to help¡­can you rescue my n?" Chapter 147 Transformation ? "You want me to help your n by freeing all of them? Are you sure you''re worth it?" Liam''s eyes narrowed as he spoke to ire Orion. Not only did she want his help but she also wanted him to pay for other ves. Basically, she wanted him to purchase more ves, all of them being from the Orion n. As the direct descendant of the Orion n, it was obvious that ire Orion had some sort of responsibility to her Fallen n. However, ire Orion was still a ve. She didn''t have any money and merely met Liam just now. It was not as if Liam and ire were close either. Until a moment ago she had been skeptical of him. So, what changed? Liam was not too sure about that, but he could tell that ire was a little hopeful. "I am definitely worth it, don''t worry about that," ire Orion said, waving her long hair back in an arrogant manner. She was still malnourished and weak, yet she started to act pridefully once again. Liam couldn''t help but question whether this girl was in stupid, or just a little foolish. Maybe she expected a little bit too much from her ''savior'' - if one could consider Liam such. "Is that so? And why should I believe that? I know that I purchased you in order to earn a small fortune from the creation of weapons and armaments, but this purchase was mostly reasoned with you being a direct descendant of the Orion n. I have yet to find out what you are actually capable of," Liam pointed out with a small smile on his face. "Maybe you''re not even worth it." Liam snickered looking at ire Orion. She stared nkly at him and her ears began to p wildly. A faint red shade covered her nose, and she began to stare daggers at him. "I, ire Orion, am a direct descendant of the Orion n, in the possession of the [Transform] Soultrait, and my Ancestral Bloodline Power. How can you even question whether I''m worth a few thousand Arcanium or not?!?" ir asked, her high-pitched voice slowly rising in volume. She felt insulted by Liam''s remarks and couldn''t allow Liam to continue like this. "Do you even know¨C...." She started. "So what?" "Hmm¡­?" "So what if you are in possession of the [Transform] Soultrait? You awoke your Bloodline Power. Congrattions. So what? You were enved nheless," Liam cut in, his eyes colder than ice. "You are a ve, MY ve. So, you better get your act together. Don''t even think about acting proudly or demanding anything without showing me the result of your actual talent. You look like you have a big mouth, but I doubt that your hands are as dexterous as the nonsense you spout," He added, provoking her intentionally. A glint formed in his eyes when he watched ire''s response to his provocation. Her face turned dark red, and her cheeks puffed up. ire opened her mouth, just to close it a momentter. She opened her mouth three times only to shut it after a few seconds. "If you provide great results, I might be able to help you a little. But truthfully, I do not really think that you can deliver the results I want," Liam said while shaking his head in disappointment. "You¡­" ire was fuming in anger. She red at Liam, ready to pounce at him. Wasn''t Liam overdoing it? Couldn''t he be a little nicer? "...I¡­I am much stronger than anyone else! My talent will shock you to the core. If you don''t believe me, give me a forge to use, Kasld Coal, and Li Ore. I will create the best Circleless Weapon you can wish for!!" She screamed, pointing fingers at him. ''Got you!'' Liam tried to hide his smile but that was difficult as he heard ire''s voice traveling off. "I''ll use my Bloodline Power to show him how powerful I am! Material Appraisal will shock this idiot for sure. Maybe he will end up kneeling in front of me¡­hehehehe" Liam heard ire but he couldn''t really care less. That idiotcked some brain cells but that was apparent. However, it was only the result that mattered, not her intelligence. He was not too sure what the Transformation Soultrait was capable of, but it was what allowed ire Orion to ess her Teraph form more easily. While ordinary members of Were races would rarely be able to ess their Teraph form, ire Orion never had a problem with that. In fact, she could transform more easily than any member of the were races. Her n, precisely the main family of her n, was known for being able to transform in their Teraph form easily. However, ire Orion was fast even then. Furthermore, she was in a bad condition. That meant, her Soultrait should be weaker than usual, forget about the speed of her Teraph transformation. Thus, Liam wanted to ept her challenge. He nned to ept her challenge, either way. That was also why he retrieved the Miniature Forge and a bunch of Ores from the Storage Rune. Channeling Arcane Power inside the Miniature Forge, it expanded in size. He installed it within a few minutes before he moved some random ck coal and Ores procured from the Silverheart Dwarves to ire Orion. "Wouldn''t it be boring if I were to give you what you want? You should be able to use what your Master gives you rather than demanding something, don''t you think so?" Liam snickered. ire Orion kept ring at him but Liam was unfazed by that. She understood that Liam was right but that didn''t mean she liked it. Nheless, there was nothing she could do about it. ire epted her fate and picked up the goods before taking a closer look at the forge. Liam retrieved a bunch of things - basically everything ire required to start forging - before he focused on observing rather than doing something else. ire started to work without too much hesitation. She ignited the fire in the forge and threw both coal and the ores inside. The concentrated ore was heated with the carbon of the ck coal to reduce it to its metallic form. This process also removed the impurities from the ore, such as sulfur, silica, and phosphorus. This process was arduous, but it was nothingpared to the refining process. The metal was cast into bars for further refining and shaping into its final form. The Forging process of the metal bar involved heating the metal to the perfect temperature to be able to shape the iron without damaging the living veins inside it. This was a difficult process, something even Dwarves usually had problems with. Not all living veins were the same. In fact, all veins were something unique, just like a fingerprint. ire Orion seemed to be a good cksmith, but her mastery of the reduction process was not exactly something that shocked Liam to the core. He was slightly surprised that she was so proud of herself even though the reduction process was not exactly something she should be proud of. There was no reason for her to be so arrogant. ''Did I make a mistake? Should I''ve have gotten a few other ves instead of her? She was so expensive¡­'' While Liamined in his heart, ire Orion was sweating profusely. "I am a little rusty¡­don''t look at me like that, you jerk¡­." She grit her teeth and increased the effort she put into refining the metal bar. It was about time for her to show off the true potential of her Bloodline Power [Material Appraisal] and the Soultrait [Transformation]. Her Soultrait did not only elerate and strengthen her Teraph form. It allowed her to change the shape of objects in her hand with the use of Arcane Power! This was something Liam didn''t know. He only got to know about it after ire Orion began to use her Soultrait to shape the metal bar It felt like the metal bar was slowly turning into liquid. Its shape began to change mythically in ire''s hands. She controlled her Arcane Power precisely and began to sweat profusely two minutes into the shaping process. Liam watched ire with slight surprise. ''This girl. Transformation was it? What a powerful Soultrait¡­.'' He stared nkly at the Were Tiger and focused his eyes on the liquid bar, which took on the shape of a small dagger. At first, Liam was pretty sure that ire Orion would fail toplete a finished product, but she was actually doing it. After being enved for who knows how long, ire was still able to use her Soultrait and Bloodline Power with great precision. It took her some effort, a lot of effort to be precise, but she made it work. Her breathing was rough and her chest heaved up and down heavily. The dagger was slowly forming in her hands, and a smile blossomed on Liam''s face. He was pretty sure that he made a mistake purchasing ire Orion after seeing her condition and how prideful she acted. However, now that he witnessed her Power firsthand, his opinion changed drastically. ''Maybe it was not a mistake¡­'' Chapter 148 [Bonus ]Bloodline Soultrait Synergy ? Liam first challenged ire to see if she could handle materials she never used before. She seeded easily, which is why Liam went ahead to the second step. He gave her the items she requested earlier. Kasld coal, and Li Ore were quite simple materials, they were rather cheap. Kasld coal was an [E-] Rank material and Li Ore was a [D-] Ore. It shouldn''t be possible to create weapons with a higher ranking than the materials useds, yet, looking at the weapon in front of him, Liam couldn''t help but smile lightly. ''So that''s what the Orion n is capable of?'' [¡ºReinforced Li Dagger¡»-Circleless C+ Rank- Description: The Li Ore has been forged in ordinary mes, reduced in Kasld Coal and shaped with the Mythical Power of the Orion n''s Were Tiger race. Rusty from being enved for the past five years, the heiress of the Orion n was unable to unleash the dormant power of the Li Ore. Purification Process: 25% Channeling Arcane Power into the Reinforced Li Dagger reinforces the de''s endurance and sharpness. Remark: The purification process was abysmal, bad enough to shock any cksmith Apprentice. Remark 2: The limit of the purification degree has been exceeded due to the high potency of the applied Soultrait.] Liam was actually impressed looking at the dagger. Its stats exceeded his expectations but that was not everything. The de of the sapphire-colored dagger gleamed like a moonlit night sky. Its smooth and wless surface was as blue as the ocean and it shone with a brilliant luster. Even Liam, someone who was hardly impressed by the appearance of any kind of weapon couldn''t help himself He stared at the de for a few seconds, mesmerized by its beauty. The handle, made of the Li Ore''s darker outer skin, was wrapped in a thinyer of blue leather. Liam had given it to ire Orion when she demanded soft leather for the dagger handle. Despite handing over the leather, Liam didn''t really expect that the blue leather would look that good on the sapphire-blue dagger. It was almost as if tiny sparkling diamonds had been embedded in the handle, creating a contrasted elegance to the deep blue of the sapphire de. Even though the dagger had been designed rather simply, one could consider it a little masterpiece in the world of weapons. Its design was ssic yet timeless, but that was not the most important. After all, the reinforced Li Dagger was a killer weapon, crafted with precision and care, for only one purpose; to kill as efficiently as possible. "Since I haven''t used my Soultrait for a long time, I am a little rusty. I have never used Kasld Ore, or Li Ore to forge a dagger either. That''s also why I didn''t try to put any enchantments on the weapons," ire exined at this moment with a hint of pride in her voice. It was obvious that ire Orion was proud of her capabilities, especially the mythical power to unlock the dormant properties within certain materials. ''Why did you request materials you''ve never used before? What an idiot...'' He thought, shaking his head inwardly. Liam was not too sure how it worked either, but he presumed that her Bloodline Power and Soultrait worked well together. Their synergy was likely the reason the reinforced Li dagger broke through the limit of material and purification degree. This attracted Liam''s interest even more. Of course, that didn''t mean ire Orion was worth the investment. Liam had yet to see how ''powerful'' ire Orion was at her peak, and how troublesome it would be to control her properly. "You couldn''t even engrave enchantments on such a dagger? Well, that''s disappointing," Laim voiced out neither too loud nor too silent The two of them were still in the attic, but it was alreadyte at night. There was only a dim light from the forge fire. Liam could see ire''s silhouette, which allowed him to see that she was breathing heavily. ire was out of energy whether it was Arcane Power or the nutrition in her body. She looked even weaker than before she ate. Her stomach was rumbling wildly as well, almost as if she hadn''t eaten for years. Liam scanned her reaction while retrieving a bunch of tes with well-preserved food on them. ''She looks quite interesting when she is baffled.'' ire was embarrassed because her stomach was rumbling as if it intended to recreate a 9.0 earthquake, but she was even more shocked by Liam''s statement. Was he serious right now? Put an enchantment on a weapon without knowing the material''s properties? Was that easy? Was that safe? Was she suicidal? If Liam wasn''t a White Devil or something along those lines, ire would have actually believed that he was oblivious to the dangers revolving around the enchantment of weapons and other pieces of equipment. But since Liam knew so much about other races, the Nine Realms, and the Orion n it was quite obvious that he knew what he was doing when he purchased her from the ve Shop. Liam had a Devil''s horn, a detailed and morous one at that. This indicated that his parents, or at least, one of his parents were a Demon King, Monarch, or even Emperor. If someone with such status didn''t know how dangerous, and difficult it was to enchant weapons, who would actually know about them? "I''m just saying that you did a decent job. We can start forward from here on," Liam said, not bothering about ire''s ever-changing reaction. "The reinforced Li Dagger shouldn''t be the best creation made by you. At least, I hope it is not your peak. Otherwise, this will get a little bit moreplicated." Liam kept ncing at ire Orion, who had shut her mouth. She stared at Liam for a few seconds, gritting her teeth and clenching her first. Was it really necessary for Liam to be like this? Why did an asshole buy her from the ve Market? Well¡­nobody purchased her for thest five years, so she should be happy about the change, or not? At least, Liam didn''t vite her. He even provided her with highly nutritious meat and other dishes. That was more than she could wish for from the ve Merchant. But that didn''t mean her pride could endure what Liam threw at her. Was he belittling her, or was Liam actually an ignorant fool. "I don''t care what you think about me. I am clearly stating what I think about the current situation. I want someone who can work with great efficiency in order to earn as much as possible. High-quality junk food would be best." Liam''s eyes were neither cold nor gentle. He was more interested in the change of her expression and he wanted to know how she would react. Was she willing to swallow her pride for the Orion n''s sake? "I am¡­ the best¡­" She hissed through her grit teeth. Her head slowly turned red and her hands formed into ws. However, even after all that, ire never considered attacking Liam, or doing anything against him. If she were to do that, electricity currents would spread through her entire being, causing damage in ordance to the density of her killing intent. "I will create the best weapons so¡­help me¡­please¡­" ire requested through her grit teeth, her voice growing quieter. It looked like she was shrinking in size beneath Liam''s gaze and it was only a matter of time before her head turned to the ground. She didn''t even dare to look at his feet anymore. "Give me a good reason to help your n and I might feel like doing it. Of course, it has to be more efficient and beneficial than the current situation," Liam pointed out, giving ire a hint about his desires. He didn''t want to throw his demands at her because it was much better if ire Orion, the prideful heiress of the Orion n, were to offer the conditions on her own. As long as she believed that her conditions were better than the worst-case she could imagine, ire Orion would dly ept any deal. That was what Liam was quite confident in. Of course, something like that required a bit of effort, quite a lot at that. ''A shortcut would be great.'' Liam was not too sure how severe the situation of the Orion n was, but he hoped that it would be quite bad. "A good reason¡­? I am the heiress of the Orion n, and I am in possession of the Transformation Soultrait! I also have the Material Appraisal Bloodline Power! As long as you give me enough time and resources, I will great you the highest quality junk food that rivals the best cuisine in your home!" ire said, her head perking up all of a sudden. She stared straight into his eyes for a second or two, just to see that Liam stared coldly at her. "Your talent is the reason I purchased you, in the first ce. That is not a reason for me to go out of my way and rescue your n, Miss Fallen n heiress," He pointed out provokingly. "I¡­" ire struggled. She lowered her head once again. Her eyes fell on the tes of food in front of her and her stomach began to grumble again. "Eat first and think about what you want to say in the meantime," Liam said, turning around to the staircase which he descended. He took a look at the others just to see that they hadn''t been affected by ire''s production process. ''Her transformation ability is pretty good, and she seems quite gullible considering that she exposed her n''s secret just now. Looks like this will be a bit easier than initially expected.'' Telling Liam about the synergy between her Bloodline Power and the Soultrait was not something she ought to tell anyone, not even people in her n. That was something Liam figured rather easily. Of course, the information he had received from her was quite advantageous. ''Let''s see how easy it is to exploit a desperate heiress!'' Chapter 149 Deal ? "I will add the term that you''ll pay for your own meals. You eat more than our entire group can feast on in an entire week¡­" Liamined quietly. ire Orion had her sixth or the seventh refill of food, but her stomach continued to grumble. Thus, he handed out more well-preserved food he had stored in the Storage Rune. Feeding her was his task as ire''s master but given that she would earn her own money soon enough, Liam didn''t even think twice before he pushed his responsibilities onto her. He paid 12,000 Arcanium to buy her in order to make a fortune, not to run himself into debt because of a starving Were-Tiger that could eat a whole damn pig! "That''s fine. I won''t allow anyone to pay for my needs! Once I umte enough Arcanium, I will pay back the debt I owe you as well!" ire Orion dered pridefully while switching from one empty te to a te overflowing with meat. Liam didn''t like the way she acted because there was literally no reason for her to keep up her prideful attitude, but he left her be. As long as she provided the promised results, he couldn''t care less. "Alright. Then let''s finish the contract before you return to work. You can just listen to the terms pointed out and mention if you find something you don''t like," Liam said while pointing on a piece of paper. He channeled some Arcane Power inside the paper, manifesting countless letters that swirled through the air and around Party A, and Party B of the contract. "Even though you are my ve, I won''t restrict your freedom unnecessarily. You will receive 10% of the profits made from your products. Until you pay back the debt you owe me, without missing a single Arcanium, you will officially be considered the ve of Liam Wandel, aka me. Party A won''t ask his ve to do something inappropriate and he won''t humiliate her needlessly. In exchange, Party B will obey her master''smands, and respect him. She will pay for her own needs an¨C..." Liam Wandel was not even mid-way through the summary of the terms they came up with when ire Orion intervened. "Don''t bother with all those exnations! Why is there nothing written about my nmates?!?" She asked demandingly. Liam''s lips twitched and his hands were about to transform when he took a deep breather. "If you agree to a smaller profit share, I can reconsider adding a use about your nmates into the contract. However, if you want me to buy your nmates, they will also owe me a debt. They will also be my ves until they paid their debt back fully. Do you understand that?" Liam exined, his eyes dead serious. The royal purple in his eyes seemed to stare deep into ire''s soul, and she momentarily forgot how to eat. She was still not sure what kind of person Liam was. It was quite obvious that he was a Devil, but at the same time, he was not. ire couldn''t really exin it herself but something about Liam seemed off. Other ve masters wouldn''t even bother feeding their ves until they were filled, forgetting about setting up a contract that gave ire the right to buy back her freedom. She knew that asking for Liam''s help was a little over the top, but he was the only one she could ask for help. It was not as if anyone else would bother listening to her. Who was she supposed to ask for help, in the first ce? There was nobody! "That''s totally fine! Even if you take away my entire profit share, I won''tin as long as you help me. Please!!" She cried out, exposing her true feelings for the first time. It was not difficult to tell that ire''s prideful attitude from earlier was only a farce to hide her real emotions, her desperation, and the fear of the unknown. "Idiot. If I take away your whole profit share, I will have to pay for your food and other necessities. You will only go deeper into debt, and you won''t be able to pay back what you owe," Liam said. He leaned forward and flicked her forehead lightly. Seeing her head pop backward was enough to form a slim smile on his face. This idiotic girl was a piece of work but she seemed loyal to her nmates. In return, that also meant she was loyal to him as long as he helped her out. The more Were-Tiger he held in his hand, the easier it would be to control ire Orion. Were-Tiger were also great assets. Theirbat power was pretty high. It wouldn''t be a loss if he helped ire a little. Her gratitude would turn into trust and loyalty, which would then lead to a simple result; she would try her best to repay her gratitude by producing the best possible Armaments and Weapons. ''With Transformation, Material Appraisal, and her knowledge of Enchantments, she should be able to produce Artifacts as long as she studies a little more. If I can equip everyone with several Artifacts, while creating a constant stream of high-quality goods to sell, I will have a much easier time earning enough Arcanium to purchase the necessary resources for my Bloodline Awakening!'' Liam thought while feeling as if someone punched in his stomach. Thinking about the enormous price he had to pay for the Bloodline Awakening was enough to cause constipation. "Then¡­please give me five perce¨C...no, please give me 2.5% profit share¡­that should be enough!" ire Orion said, changing her stance quickly. She didn''t want anyone to pay for her needs, but she required Liam''s help as well. Asking for too much would put him off while asking too little was likely to put her into a bad financial situation. Fortunately, she was confident in her Soultrait and Bloodline Power. Their synergy was exceptional, and her products were always exceptional. ire was aware of herck of talent in reducing ores to ingots with high a high degree of purity, but that was something others could solve while she focused on the things, she was good at. Her weapons were always worth a small fortune. She could earn back her freedom as long as she worked hard, and Liam could rescue her nmates in no time! ''I am the smartest. Let''s go!'' She shouted in her heart, signing the contract less than half an hourter once everything had been confirmed. Liam was still a little baffled how stupid the heiress of the Orion n could be, but it was not as if that was bad for him. Her Soultrait and Bloodline Power were great, and she was loyal. That was all that mattered! The members of the Orion n would still be considered his ves after he purchased them. His investment would have to be paid back with hard work, and various gains on his side. "By the way, my Bloodline''s w is that I will lose the ability to see for a while. The longer I use Material Appraisal in one sitting, the longer I will be blind. The effect strikes me randomly within 24 hours after I used my Bloodline Power," ire exined suddenly. She was finally done eating and ended up putting all tes on top of each other, creating a small tower. Her voice and the way she acted made it seem as if she was speaking about the weather or some other unimportant topic. However, Liam''s ears perked up. "How long will you stay blind? Like what is the longest and shortest time you''ve turned blind as the aftereffect of using your Bloodline Power?" He asked in a serious tone, but ire just gave it a shrug. "Usually, it''s not that long. Maybe five to ten minutes? The longest was two hours, I think." Since Liam was bound to find out the w of her Bloodline Power either way, she didn''t think of hiding it. Telling Liam about the w was a necessity because he might reconsider helping her out, but ire couldn''t find herself telling him about it before their contract waspleted. She was too desperate for his help and thought that her Bloodline Power''s w would harm their deal. "If it''s only that long, it doesn''t matter. I will pay attention to the w once we leave this ce. Moving around a blind person would be bothersome," Liam merely said, before he essed the Arcane Shop. It was time to purchase a few goods to make sure that ire''s power could be abused to the fullest. He wanted to earn back his investment, after all! ''Huh? He doesn''t care?'' Chapter 150 Empowered ? To recover from his weakened state, Liam required roughly two weeks. The otherspleted their power-up by digesting the Kikal Tonic as well. They were also weakened, but that was given. Their cells had been strengthened by crushing and healing them over and over again. Not only was their body more endurable now, but their muscles were also firmer, their organs more stic and their bodies felt much lighter than before. None of them was able to increase their stats above A+ Rank but that was already incredibly good. Liam didn''t expect that Jennie and Hellen would be able to endure and ovee the aftermath of the Kikal Tonic, but they did a very good job. Derek, Olivia, and Felicia did well. Their stats increased rapidly, and they rested only for a few days before their weakened state wore off. "I wonder if Jennie is doing fine," Felicia mumbled while caressing ire''s fluffy ears. She, and Olivia were the first to get to know ire Orion, and they had gotten close pretty fast. The native girls liked watching the mythical process of her unique art of forging ¨C if one could call it such. ire used Transformation to change the shape of the metal she was holding. However, she didn''t simply transform iron bars into iron weapons but created alloys by merging different types of metals together. Using her Soultrait, this was not further difficult, and it allowed her to unleash the strongest traits of the respective metals. Using this method, ir expelled impurities using her ordinary forging skills and aplex method of Transformation to create the strongest possible weapons and armaments. Theplex method used was something ire had been taught by her father. Her father learned it from his father, and the line continued in a simr way for more than a dozen generations. Despite having said that he wouldn''t feed ire anymore, Liam continued to provide food one more week. He didn''t touch her except for that one time he groomed her to clean her up when she was too weak to do it herself. ire didn''t seem to be traumatized by men, or by the sight of des and other weapons that could have been used to torture her. She was only a glutton, which Liam considered a good sign. When he heard that ire had been enved for five years, he was a little worried that her envement might have a bad influence on her work, but that was not the case. On the contrary, she was more eager to create high-quality weapons and armaments using rather cheap materials. Her motivation seemed to grow even further when she found out that Liam was not alone. ire first thought that Liam was a lone wolf and that he hired her to keep himpany. However, he didn''t want anything from her other than her experience and powers to create highly profitable armaments. Liam had four women and one young man by his side. The young man seemed a little stupid because he was eying one of his arms all the time. It felt like watching a baby find out that it had two arms and two legs. What ire found outter was that Derek asked the system for a loan to purchase an item that grew back his arm. The feeling in his regrown arm was a little differentpared to before but the arm was certainly not worse. It was just that Derek required some time to get used to it. At the same time, he was deep in debt, and his Soul had been used as coteral. What did that mean? Well, it was pretty simple. Unable to pay his debt? Bye, Soul! "Jennie will be fine as long as she doesn''t give up. I don''t think she will do that, but it will take some time before she finds out what she wants to do in life, and in the Arcane Apocalypse," Olivia said, also watching ire, who was trying to escape the two girls'' harassment. ire was trying to keep working. The Arcanium in her bnce was slowly increasing, but she felt that it was still too slow. As the heiress of the Orion n, she wanted to rescue her nmates as quickly as possible. Liam had yet to purchase any other ves, and it looked like he saved up his Arcanium. ire wanted to help Liam save up more Arcanium. That way, he should be more inclined to puy a Were-Tiger ve before his promised date. Liam only said that he would purchase a Were-Tiger ve once a month. If ire worked hard, he would increase the quota. This month''s quota had been used up by purchasing ire Orion. That was what he said. Of course, something like a quota didn''t exist. Liam came up with it in order to make sure that ire would work as much as possible. The Arcanium umting in his bnce were for his Bloodline Awakening, to purchase an Enchantment for the Arcane Kunai, and to make sure that Derek wouldn''t identally use too much Arcanium and be unable to pay for his debt. Thetter was unlikely to happen but Liam encountered too many idiots in his short life. He would rather be careful than lose out a potential powerhouse in the building. And that was exactly how he assessed Derek. He was a little idiotic because he didn''t know much about the Nine Realms. However, his personality was good, he was able to think independently, and he had instincts that could be honed and refined until they were razor-sharp. Meanwhile, the other girls had their own perks. Everyone had their own good and bad points; however, Liam was quite satisfied with all of them. But the most interesting was ire, right now. The deal they made was clearly a win-win situation, though Liam gained more benefits. ire Orion was able to increase her Arcanium to 350. Meanwhile, Liam profited more than 13,000 Arcanium from ire''s hard work. If one were to exclude the material cost, Liam''s ie was around 14,000 Arcanium for two weeks of work. Working eight hours a day was the most ire could work fully focused. She made 12 weapons in those eight hours, which was why she ended up producing little more than 140 weapons over the course of 14 days. Each weapon was worth roughly 100 Arcanium, and the market''s demand for weapons and armaments created by ire Orion kept increasing. Liam was pretty sure that he could slowly increase the price for her goods, but he was not sure if he wanted to do that, in the first ce. The traffic of his shop improved slowly and steadily. More natives and other races took note of his shop, which was great and exactly what Liam had been trying to achieve. If ire improved her skills, it wouldn''t be impossible to create a few ''unique'' weapons and sell them for an exorbitant price by auctioning them off. At the same time, ire would make her own gains as well. As long as she continued to work hard, she would be able to purchase her freedom in a little bit more than a year! Even though Liam made much more than ire, she didn''t mind. It was already a miracle to think that a single year of hard work would be enough to buy pack her freedom. After all, she was currently just a mere ve, someone who was never supposed to regain her status. It was a miracle, and it was a Devil who allowed her to dream about freedom once again. Was that fate? Chapter 151 Overcoming Depression ? After the others finished consuming the Kikal Tonic, they worked out every day to make use of the energy remnants inside their body. Their stats didn''t increase further, but the energy remnants allowed them to improve their physical condition. In merely two weeks, their condition improved enough to make use of the stats they attained from consuming the Kikal Tonic. Everyone got to know ire Orion as well. At first, the natives were against the thought of purchasing ves ¨C especially the girls ¨C but they changed their opinion seeing that ire was happy being Liam''s ve. Buying her from the ve market was simr to pulling her out of hell. He even paid ire Orion for her work, promised her to help purchase her nmates as long as she worked diligently, and provide the opportunity to buy back her freedom. That way, ire Orion was more like a servant with a long-term employment contract rather than a ve. Even if envement was a big no-go for Olivia, Felicia, and the others, it was not as if they had the power to do anything against it. Liam actively funded the ve merchants by purchasing ire Orion, but he changed her life forever ¨C in a good way. Furthermore, he gained a means to make more money, which could be used to find his expenses and purchase more ves. Using the profit of ire''s work allowed him to be stronger rapidly. Once strong enough, he could deal with the ve merchants, if he wanted to. Olivia and the others could do the same. They could purchase ves and use them in a simr way as Liam did, while secretly plotting to eliminate the ve merchants one after another. That way, they would do something to rescue the ves one after another while working toward the downfall of very, rather than saying that someone should or shouldn''t do something. Actions showed your determination, while words were just empty shells as long as no actions followed. "She is not doing better, yet?" Liam asked lightly, nodding in Jennie''s direction. He circted his entire pool of Arcane Power through his body to make sure that he was able to endure the pressure of using his entire Arcane Power at one point. They had yet to talk about it but he wanted to hunt the Lava Smander. Not only was the Lava Smander a 1st Circle Monster, whose body was a treasure trove for someone like Liam, or ire, to be precise, but it was also for Jennie''s sake. Jennie''s Soultrait was very helpful and certainly worth an investment. Investing into her character growth was not what Liam initially wanted to do but she was still in a bad mood. She was hibernating in the corner of the wooden hut and seemed to be depressed. Liam didn''t need this type of person, even if he could understand her very well. However, he was never the type of person who would end up in the corner of the room just because he was depressed. His dear friends and lover had been killed in front of him ¨C by his own family. If that was not enough to get depressed, Liam was not sure what worse would have to happen to fall into depression. Liam didn''t back down even after his dear friends and lover had been killed. There was a phase of void, a time he felt as if nothing made sense, but he overcame it with the thought of revenge. Taking revenge was enough to motivate him, to fuel his entire being with the energy he needed to take one step after another, slowly and steadily approaching his goal. Ending up in Haltan was not part of his n neither was it to lose all of his power. However, Liam considered this an opportunity. His Circles disappeared, and so did the wed foundation he build up hastily when he was fueled by rage. He had been too hasty and rushed to be stronger. Now he could build his foundation, create the most formidable Circles and work tirelessly to achieve his goal. Liam wanted the same for Jennie. She deserved revenge, and Liam was ready to serve it here. "I don''t know if she is doing better honestly," Hellen said and sighed deeply. Jennie consumed the Kikal Tonic just like everyone else. She also ate and slept when everyone else ate and slept. However, Jennie hardly spoke a word to anyone during thest two weeks. Everyone was worried. Liam scratched the back of his head and approached Jennie. He grasped her wrist tightly and pulled her up from the ground. His Devil''s Eyes were activated, staring deep into her eyes. "Are you going to give up, or will you take revenge? The Lava Smander killed your parents and thousands of innocent natives. Will you leave the Lava Smander alone, just like that? Will you be satisfied if I end up killing it, while you''re staying here, sulking about your loss?" Liam asked, his voice growing colder, "Will you be alright being useless while your parents died miserably? Will they be proud seeing you like this?!" Jennie flinched as Liam''s words pierced her heart like a searing hot de. She began to tremble and tears dwelled in her eyes. However, she lifted her head and looked back at Liam. "Y-You¡­" She screamed, trembling in anger and frustration. However, she froze upon seeing that the corners of Liam''s lips were curled upward. "Looks like you want to release your stress on me. Rather than attacking someone totally unrted to your misery, how about youe and hunt the Lava Smander with us?" He merely said as his grasp around he wrist loosened. Liam let go of her and turned around. "I went a little bit ahead of myself, but looking at everyone, I guess I won''t have to hunt the Lava Smander by myself," Liam said without a change in his expression. He noted that everyone, including ire, stared at him with burning eyes. They had been set aze and mirrored their zing battle spirit. In the next ten minutes, everyone readied their equipment. Felicia used her Soultrait to pinpoint the Lava Smander''s location and the location of itsir. Once they knew the most important information, it was time toe up with a n. This didn''t take long either. After Liam checked his equipment and the equipment worn by the others, they were already done nning their first fight against a 1st Circle monster. There was no need to go overboard with nning, in the first ce. Liam''s stats were high enough to consider him a 1st Circle powerhouse. After all, the Lava Smander was a monster that could only create an Intermediate Arcane Circle. Liam was confident to be able to defeat the Lava Smander by himself ¨C though it would be very difficult and exhausting to solo a bus-sized colossus. ** If you want to support me use your golden tickets and powerstones. You can also visit my pa treon: Pa treon/HideousGrain More character images and nice chats about the HideVerse: https://discord.gg/EdsDgFVWwZ Link also in my description. Do you like it? Leave a review and add it to the library! Chapter 152 Traps And Bushes ? Not all changes were good, but Liam had high hopes for Jennie. He was pretty sure that his words cut deep into Jennie''s soul and that she would get up soon. If she could be strong enough to fend for herself, that would be even better. Of course, it depended on her willpower and desired whether she would crumble and die miserably or stand up and fight. "Do you think you can do it, Hellen?" Liam asked the newest member of their group when he handed her a few items and recipes for specific traps. The recipes and materials cost him more than 200 Arcanium but that was nothing inparison to the value he could get in return if everything worked ording to his n. "I will have to study the traps a little and install them to test whether I understood them correctly or not. However, from the looks of it, they''re pretty simple," Hellen answered confidently after she studied the recipes for a few minutes. ''Simple? Assassins need a few weeks toprehend these traps. You just took a short nce¡­'' Liam thought, but he didn''t say it aloud. Hellen''s Soultrait seemed stronger than he expected. This was certainly advantageous, yet it was better to keep that from her for the time being. Liam didn''t want Hellen to be arrogant. This would lead to unnecessary deaths, just like it happened with Ludwig. "Give me one day and enough resources to experiment a little and I will be ready to install the traps wherever you want me to ce them!" She added, which was enough for Liam. He retrieved more resources from the Storage Rune and handed everything to Hellen. Everyone agreed to fight the Lava Smander. This hadn''t been debated but everyone desired to eliminate the Lava Smander, whether it was to take revenge for the innocent lives that had been harvested, to earn more Arcanium, or to help Jennie get revenge. Their n was pretty simple with great focus on Hellen''s traps and everyone''s enhanced stats. Liam was confident in hisbat prowess now that most of his stats were S-Rank. Tearing apart the Lava Smander with his bare ws shouldn''t be impossible, especially with a Soultrait such as his Devil''s Eyes. Nheless, it was better to be prepared for the worst. Some Lava Smanders had nasty traits one had to pay attention to, even with stats andbat experience as crazy as Liam. "Take your time. Jennie will probably need another day as well," Liam said before he returned his focus to ire. She produced a few special armaments, which he wouldn''t sell. The armaments were for everyone to use in the battle against the Lava Smander, and the metals needed to produce them were not exactly cheap either. However, the result was quite satisfying, so Liam didn''t mind the price he had to pay. A day passed in the blink of an eye, and everyone was ready to depart. Jennie stood next to Olivia and Felicia. She looked a little lost but seeing the faint glint of determination in her eyes was more than enough for him. He nodded his head, finished preparing everything, and went out of the wooden hut. It was still early in the morning, but time passed quickly. They spent an hour traveling to the Lava Smander''sir while Felicia used her Arcanium to keep watch of the Lava Smander''s positioning. The 1st Circle Monster was not in itsir, which was what their group made use of. In the following hours, Liam and the others hunted a few monsters to make sure that nobody could distract Hellen as she installed a few traps at the entrance of the Smander''sir. The Lava Smander''sir was a self-made caver. It was searing hot inside the cave, which was only given since the Lava Smander''s entire body was covered inva-like scales. Hellen didn''t finish her job by merely installing one or two traps. She used all materials at her disposal to install seven traps in a matter of hours. Others would need a few hours to install one of those traps, but Hellen''s Soultrait made the entire process much easier. "I am done!" She shouted loudly and everyone gathered in response. "Now we''re waiting, or what?" Felicia asked, not really happy about this. She was not exactly the most patient person in the group. Olivia felt simr but her issue was Jennie. Olivia was pretty sure that Jennie wouldn''t be able to hold back upon seeing the Lava Smander. Her anger would erupt, and she would attack the Lava Smander, that was for sure. However, Liam didn''t seem to share Olivia''s worry. The only thing he did after they hid in one of the isted arrays Hellen installed not too far from the Lava Smander''s Lair was to pull Jennie aside. He said something but their talk didn''t even take up half a minute before they came back. Jennie''s expression was grave, and she clenched the sapphire spear she had received from ire tightly, but that was already it. She remained silent. The others were interested in the content of their talk, but they couldn''t ask. Felicia jumped up suddenly, her hand holding the hilt of the sheathed sapphire sword. "Itsing!" She announced and everyone went to do their respective job. Liam retrieved a huge sapphire-colored broadsword from the Storage Rune and swung it lightly in front of him. It was heavy but with his Strength stat reaching S-Rank it was nothing much. The huge broadsword was perfect to cut down on big and heavy opponents! He channeled some Arcane Power through the sapphire-colored broadsword, which coated it in a highlypressedyer of water. A slim smile formed on his lips in response and he nodded his head. ''Looks like that girl is more useful than expected. Creating eight elemental-based weapons in a single day should be a big deal, but she made it,'' Liam thought, ncing over to ire Orion. The Were-Tiger had integrated herself well into the group. She began to smile, and her work improved drastically now that her work was a determining factor in everyone''s well-being At first, Liam didn''t think that they would need new weapons to deal with the Lava Smander, but ire convinced him that it was better to be overprepared for the worst case than to have too few preparations made. That was also why seven traps were installed instead of two ¨C which was already more than enough in Liam''s opinion. Fortunately, he listened to ire because his ignorance and focus onbat rather than strategy would have killed them. After all, the Lava Smander was on apletely different level than Liam expected. That was something he realized the moment he saw the Lava Smander the first time. ''Why is he so big?!'' Chapter 153 Collapsed [Hiatus] ? The Lava Smander was more than twenty meters long and six meters tall. Its scales were not even visible due to theva that covered the Lava Smander''s entire body. Even its pitch-ck eyes were mostly covered by the moltenva. ''Its bigger than expected. Did it eat or consume a treasure, or are monsters also able to use the Arcane System?'' Liam wondered. He had been suspicious about that before, but seeing the Lava Smander, he felt that less intelligent beings such as monsters were also able to use the Arcane System to increase their stats, and possibly enhance their Bloodline. It was also possible that he was wrong and that the Lava Smander consumed some treasure to increase its strength, but he knew what treasures had manifested and grown in the valley. These vast pieces of information were branded in his mind and he wouldn''t forget them that easily. ''Looks like it was a good decision to install more traps and create elemental weapons,'' He thought, ncing over to ire, who smiled from one ear to another. ''But I better not tell her that she did a good job. That brat is too arrogant for her own good.'' Liam readied himself for the fight, but he didn''t dash out of their hidden position mindlessly. The Lava Smander had yet to enter itsir and trigger the traps Hellen installed meticulously. He nced at Jennie before he reverted his attention once he was sure she could control herself ¨C even if it was hard. Jennie clenched the sapphire spear with all her might. Her veins protruded from the back of her hands, and it looked like they would pop at any moment. But that was already it. The Lava Smander ¨C oblivious to the terrifying encounter it was about to make ¨C returned to itsir. It didn''t rush back but slowly strode through the outskirts of the city it had destroyed first. No monster dared toe close to it but that was only given. Nobody was as on par to its strength, and that was something the Lava Smander was fully aware of. It was just too mighty for anyone topare! Being at the top of the food chain and the Overlord of a small territory was bliss. The Lava Smander never enjoyed such a privilege in the past. It was just a weak 1st Circle monster, and not a mythical creature, after all. However, the Arcane Apocalypse and the opportunity it had been granted thanks to it changed everything. It was finally strong enough to reach the peak of the food chain and ughter the beings around it to gain Arcanium, which could then be used to be even stronger. Within a few days of the Arcane Apocalypse''s start, the Lava Smander grew much stronger than it did over the course of years. Countless beings died at its hands within those five days, but it didn''t care. The life of all monsters inside the Nine Realms had been filled with the rule of the jungle. The strongest ruled supreme and the weak were at the mercy of the strongest. If the strongest wanted to eradicate everyone, they would do it. Who would dare to call them out? The dead couldn''tin, and those who were not yet dead would die as soon as the strong found them. That was how the Lava Smander lived. It had been suppressed for half a decade and barely survived. Nobody would listen to itsints even if it had the intelligence and capabilities to understand the universalnguage and speak. That was how life was, and it didn''t change even in Haltan. The only difference was that the Lava Smander was not the strongest. And that was exactly what caused the Lava Smander to be arrogant within the first thirty days of the Arcane Apocalypse. Nobody was as strong as it, and it was growing stronger by the day. Thinking that no one in the region would ever dare to attack it in its ownir, the Lava Smander missed the clues as it crossed the first trap upon entering itsir. "Why is the trap not activating?" Felicia asked Hellen stiffly. However, Hellen just smiled. "Don''t you see how arrogant it is? It didn''t even look around to make sure that nobody would attack," She responded, still smiling. "So what?" Felicia asked, nearly shouting. Oddly enough it was Jennie who answered this time. "Hellen can control the traps. She wants to active all seven to severely injure the Lava Smander and kill it off easily," Despite looking like she was about to lose her sanity, Jennie could think straight ahead. Her train of thought was much faster than ever before as she had only one goal in mind; kill the Lava Smander as humiliating and painfully as possible. Liam nodded as well, pointing at the blue strands of energy that had formed in her hands to show that Hellen had full control of the traps. Each strand was connected to one trap. Hellen connected the blue strands of energy to trigger them at once. Understanding dawned on Felicia and she quickly diverted her focus, not forgetting to voice out herint silently, "You guys could have said that beforehand¡­" Olivia and the others smiled in response. They didn''t know about the precise control of the traps either and thought that the first trap malfunctioned when it didn''t trigger However, all of their worries dispersed the moment a thunderous explosion resounded through the surrounding area. Hellen clenched her first, crushing the seven strands of energy. Simultaneously, the earth around them began to rumble. The Smander''sir trembled and a pained roar reverberated through the destroyed city before the self-made cavern copsed atst. The others watched everything with great interest. Their expressions were all different, yet simr at the same time. "Dumb question¡­but was that nned?" ire was the first to ask a question, however, nobody could really answer her. They just stared at Hellen, whose expression didn''t change at all. "There should have been four spiked pit traps two gravity expansion traps, and a shrapnel fragment trap¡­what happened?" Liam asked, also not quite sure what why the cave copsed. The spiked pit traps were traps that created a spiked pit the moment it was triggered, while the gravity expansion traps increased inertia tenfold in a small area for a few seconds. The shrapnel fragment trap was a trap that shot metal fragments in all directions. Hellen filled them with aqueous metal that had been infused with certain highly oxygen substances. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!